Lithium
by reno-xxxXXXxxx
Summary: a little dark... He didn't think he needed it, everyone else thought he did. He took it anyway, more than enough to cure the pain. Rated T for swearing and drugs and OD's and suicidal references ... Implied RenoxElena
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Ok, so this one has a lot of explaining to do. If you want to know before the chapter, skip to the bottom first, coz I don't want to spoil it by putting it at the top. Please enjoy and review - it's different from other stuff I've done.**

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**Chapter 1**

Pain. Anything to ease the pain. The physical pain had come and gone hours ago, but the emotional pain was there all along. The red-haired teen sat alone, in what he called his home.

Lithium. He didn't think he needed it, everyone else did. He took it anyway, more than enough… it made the pain go away. Bliss.

He should have felt the pain in his body, but he didn't. He was used to it by now, and none of the injuries he had bothered him. He ran his fingers down the sides of his face, briefly wondering why the guy in the tattoo shop hadn't asked him where his other injuries came from. He guessed that was just the kind of world he lived in; nobody looked out for each other anymore.

"Well, Reno? How are them tattoos treatin' ya?" came a voice from his doorway. The red-haired teen looked up to see a boy, slightly older than him, with short black hair.

"Leave me alone." Reno replied quietly.

"That's no way to talk to someone that's saving your life."

"You ain't savin' me, you're killin' me!" Reno shouted, his anger getting the better of him. A smack in the face is what he got in return.

"Never…" The black haired boy hissed, grabbing Reno by the collar, "…raise your voice at me again."

Reno scowled at him, despite the tight hold he had on his collar, making him choke slightly. The black haired teen let him choke a moment longer before pushing him back forcedly, making his head slam into the wall behind him.

As his head collided with the wall, he shut his eyes in an attempt to rid the new wave of pain that had just washed over him. When he opened them again, despite his vision being blurry, he could see the black-haired youth had gone left.

Damien, his name was. Very fitting, Reno always thought. He was like the devil's spawn, but no one dared stand up to him, or they got… well Reno had just experienced what happens if he were to just so much as raise his voice to him.

Reno had thought befriending Damien was a good idea, but it didn't take him long to realise just how wrong he was. But once you were involved with Damien, there was no turning back, never. It was strange how in the whole of the Sector 7 slums, there was no force more powerful than an 18-year old. Just showed what the world was coming to.

He rubbed the back of his head and looked at his hand. Well, at least it wasn't bleeding. He sighed and leaned back against the dirty wall. So this was his life… living alone in one single rented room. The guy he rented it from knew Reno paid his rent with stolen money, but he didn't much care. He was a crook himself , selling Reno various new drugs from time to time. That was where the lithium had come from. He had been subscribed it when he was 11 for bipolar disorder, and he had become hooked on the tranquil feeling it gave him…

He bit his lip at the sudden sharp pain that ran through his left leg. The pain from the injuries Damien and his friends had caused him earlier was fast returning to him. He couldn't help but ask himself why? Out of a group of at least twenty teenager, why was Reno the one singled out? That was why Damien had forced him to get the tattoos… to single him out even more. Two bright red lines across his cheekbones. From a distance, they would probably be thought of as scars, but it made no difference to Reno; they were there, and they would probably be there forever.

His eyes began to water as the increasing pain that wracked through his whole body now. He looked around him briefly, his eyes resting on the bottle of painkillers that lay on the floor next to him. He picked it up and tipped some in his hand, not bothering to check how many, and swallowed them in one.

Of course he couldn't feel the effects straight away, so until they worked he desperately needed something to take his mind off the pain. He threw the bottle of painkillers back on the floor and his eye was caught by a small black book near to where they landed. The only thing he owned that was precious to him, if he lost that he didn't know what he would do. He smiled as he looked inside, there were two photographs inside. The one on the left was a smiling woman with long red hair and sparkling aquamarine eyes, leaning on a slightly taller man; he looked very similar to Reno, except his hair was blond and his eyes were deep brown. His mother and father. He felt the tears burning his eyes, but he didn't attempt to stop them; there was no one here that he had to hide weakness from. The one of the left was of Reno himself, with his arm around a much smaller girl with unruly red hair and emerald green eyes. His sister; Rihanna. They never had much, but they had each other. They were a family and Reno had never been happier. But now, that had all been taken away from him. Sometimes, he re-remembered that he would never see any of them again, and it made him upset. He was still young – only 15 and a life without a family was a hard one at best. Normally he would keep it to himself, but times like this he would let it all out. Despite all the things he's done to himself over the past few years, one thing he new was bad was to keep emotions to himself. He wiped his eyes and closed the book, stowing it under his pillow. He could feel the painkillers kicking in now, and he was starting to feel drowsy. Perhaps he had taken too many… well; it wouldn't be the first time.

As his eyes began to drop shut, he lay down on his mattress and drifted into a half sleeping, half unconscious state. The best way to be; sweet, sweet bliss.

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**A/N: **Okay, so here's the explanation:

1. I chose Lithium because not only is it a drug that cure bipolar disorder, it is also put in fireworks to color them red.

2. Bipolar disorder is a complicated disease that makes some depressed and manic at the same time. Basically, really upset, but really hyper.

3. I still used the name Rihanna for his sister, like my other stories, but I don't think some of this will fit in with those stories.

I think thats all, please review !!!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Just a short update coz I felt bad leaving it so long. And I mean short... about 450 words. Anyhoo, thanks for reviewing so far, I did a ickle bit of character developing here, not all that much else.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

Of course, when Reno woke up, he didn't feel any better. He had a thumping headache, and his body ached all over – he felt like he was recovering from a serious case of flu. The sunlight didn't help of course, streaming through the curtain-less window, straight into his eyes. Why was it that when he wanted the sun to shine, it didn't?

Now there was the puzzle; what was he going to do today? If he so much as stepped foot outside his door, there would be someone out to get him. Getting on the wrong side of Damien was a bad idea, but now he was there, there was no going back. If only there was someone more powerful than him. Damien also had another advantage; he was a rich kid, lording over all the other young people in the slums, rich or poor. Reno just happened to be one of the poor ones. Damien's parents were scared of him, so they bought him anything he wanted, and that included weapons. So he had a nice variety of guns that he could easily destroy a person with, and Reno had nothing.

"_Well, no point staying here all day…" _Reno thought to himself. Ignoring his protesting muscles, he stood up and prepared himself to face the coming day.

There seemed to be no one around as he stepped outside the door. The blinding sunlight seemed to have vanished now as the clouds started to cover the sun. Reno stepped cautiously forwards, looking around him all the time as he went. Then his eye was caught by the dark alleyway to his right; maybe he could stay hidden while he was out and about for a while. But, as usual, it turned out Reno's good idea was not so fantastic after all.

"You should be honoured." Reno turned around to see Damien behind him smiling. "I don't usually come after people personally."

"Will you just tell me what you want?" Reno said, trying to keep his temper this time.

"Quite frankly, Reno… I'm getting a little tired of you." Damien said, his smile disappearing. "You are the only one who will stick up for yourself, and you don't care if you get laid into."

"What's so bad about me sticking up for myself?" Reno asked him.

"What's so bad is… I'm in charge, so what I say, goes. None of you should even have the guts to question it."

"And who made you in charge?"

"I did. That's who. Are you challenging my authority?"

"You're an 18 year-old kid living in the slums, what authority?"

"My authority over you. You joined me, one might even say we became friends… now you're trying to go against me."

"We were never friends. And I wouldn't want to take your place… bullying people, that's all it is… what's the point?"

"The point, Reno… is power… the point, is your life."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry about these chapters being so short. And the updates so rare, I have a lot of stories to deal with now. lol

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 3**

Reno sat on the rotting park bench, unsure of what had just happened. Damien had tried to kill him, he knew that. And he had almost managed it… the sharp pain in his stomach was still reminding him of that. But he hadn't done it. Someone had helped Reno, and he had no idea who it was. He didn't even see them; at the time, he was struggling to keep conscious…

Reno snapped out of his thoughts and looked around the park he was sitting in. He wondered briefly if these people are blind, they always seemed to walk right past the people that needed help the most. It had started to rain, and everyone who walked past was more concerned with getting home in the warm, ignoring the pain red-haired teenager that was only inches away from them.

"Excuse me?" Reno saw someone put a hand on his shoulder, but he was so cold he barely felt it.

"Who are you?" Reno turned to look vaguely in the person's direction. It was a woman, with blonde hair, but that was just about all he could register.

"Just wondering if you were alright…" She said, unsurely. She had a quite high-pitched voice, and she sounded slightly nervous.

"Heh, you're brave." Reno said simply.

"Huh?"

"Not many people would walk up to a complete stranger and ask that."

"Well, you look pretty hurt, and I know I'd appreciate it if someone checked up on me if I looked as bad as you do now."

"Right…" Reno said, sighing. "Well, thanks for your concern, but it's not as bad as it looks. I'll get goin' now…"

Reno got slowly to his feet, gritting his teeth. He had obviously underestimated how much he actually was hurt, and he stumbled forwards, being caught by the blonde woman.

"Not as bad as it looks?" The woman said, with a laugh in her voice. "Come on…" She lifted the redhead up and put his right arm around her shoulder to support him. "Where do you live?" she asked.

"Ha… across the road, over there." He pointed vaguely in the direction of his 'home' across the road.

"Uh, I know the guy who owns that place… you really live there?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah, It's not much, but it's home." Reno said, smiling grimly.

"Hardly…" she muttered. "Oh well, come on."

Eventually, the two of them made it back… Reno preferred to not let the woman in, so he didn't enter while she was there.

"You gonna be ok?" she asked him. She was smiling, but Reno's vision was still blurred so he couldn't see her very clearly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Reno sighed.

"I'm Elena, by the way… you are?"

"Reno." He replied slightly blankly.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **IIII'm back!! This is the longest thing I've written for a long time, to make up for the last chapter. I'm also pretty please with this one, even though there's no action or anything.

Well, enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 4**

Reno dropped himself down on his mattress, ignoring the pain in his stomach. He was unable to bend properly, so resorted to gritting his teeth and baring the pain. Breathing shakily, he pulled out the little black book again, and stared at the photograph inside. How he longed to be back there, then maybe he could stop anything happening to his precious family. Maybe then, he wouldn't be in that state.

Unconsciously, he put a hand to his stomach, then drew it back, feeling how wet it was. His whole hand was covered in the blood that was still pouring from the freshly made wound. It was probably going to end up quite serious if the blood flow didn't stop soon, but there was really nothing he could do about it. He could tell that girl, Elena, had been reluctant to leave him in that state, but she seemed the nervous type and probably didn't want to argue with him. He sat with his eyes closed, trying to rid himself of the pain that was wracking his body.

"Reno?" he hadn't even heard the door open, yet standing in front of him was a beautiful, brown-haired girl. Her dark blue eyes were clouded over with concern.

"Tia…" Reno sighed.

"I saw what happened." She said, sitting next to him. "You should get that looked at."

"There's no point." He replied grimly.

"It looks bad."

"Seriously, what am I s'posed to do?" he snapped. "Sorry." He muttered, ashamed he had lost his temper so easily.

"That's alright." She smiled. Reno stared into those kind blue eyes, remembering the time when he had first met Tia. It was only two years ago, but it had felt like a lifetime. They were the complete opposite; she was always smiling, and saw the bright side of everything. Her life wasn't bad, she had a family and a roof over her head, but she was patient with Reno and that meant she meant the world to him, even though at time he felt he didn't deserve someone like her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, bringing him out of his reminiscence.

"Huh?"

"Damien. He's after you now. You should have known not to try and rebel against him" She said, her eyes wide.

"It was hardly rebelling." Reno muttered.

"You answered back more than once, that's the equivalent to him." She told him. "And if you carry on like this, you're not gonna be alive for much longer."

Reno stared at her. The only reason he could tell she was truly concerned was because she was usually so optimistic, it was a vivid contrast in her personality to be so dark about the situation.

"Just don't worry about it, ok?" he said, smiling despite his injuries, "You've got enough to worry about."

"That's the point; I do have enough to worry about. But all that I'm worried about… is you." She looked at him desperately. "Please…"

"I dunno… what am I s'posed to do?" he said. There was a long pause when Tia stared into his eyes, obviously deep in thought.

"What happened earlier?" she asked him suddenly.

"What?"

"Damien didn't kill you. Someone helped you. Who was it?"

"I dunno… I never even got to look at him…"

"I didn't see much of him either, but the thing is, he shot Damien, and he's gonna blame that on you."

"…Which will make my life a hell of a lot harder…" Reno sighed. "Unless I find out who that guy was…"

"That's right. But until you get that sorted, you must make sure you stay out of the open." Tia said seriously. "I've seen all too much what can happen…"

Reno nodded his head, respecting what Tia had said. Although her life wasn't as bad as Reno's, she had been associated with Damien for much longer than he had, and knew where her loyalties had to lie. She had not realised what she was getting herself into when she met Damien in her desperate attempt to make new friends, but now she was in, there was no turning back.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I can look after myself. I've been on my own long enough now…"  
"As long as you're sure… and if you don't want to go to hospital with that, can you at least let me have a look?" Tia suggested, "I did a little first aid when I was younger…"

Reno trusted Tia so he lay down on his mattress and shivered as her cold hands lifted his shirt up. He closed his eyes tight, preparing for the pain, but he was surprised how little there was. Tia gentle touch made him feel a lot better.

"That's quite bad…" she said. Then she opened the bag that Reno had just notices slung around her shoulder and pulled out a bottle of something and a cloth. "Sorry about this…" she said nervously. She tipped some of the liquid onto the cloth and pressed it against his stomach. He felt the pain instantly, it stung like nothing he had ever felt before, but he still trusted her, and bit his lip, resisting the pain. He felt her lift the cloth off and wipe it gently across his abdomen.

"There." She said triumphantly, lifting the cloth away. Reno could see that the once white material was now crimson with blood. "That should help."

"Thanks." Reno said gratefully. He pulled his shirt back down and sat up, feeling the soothing relief immediately.

"That's alright." She said, obviously happy to have helped.

"What are you gonna do?" Reno asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Damien is gonna realise you've been comin' to see me… I don't think you can come anymore…"

"If he was really that bothered, he would come anyway. It's not as if he doesn't know where you live."

"I guess you're right… I just don't want you to get into trouble."

"Don't worry about me…" she smiled. "I've known Damien long enough to know where the line is and not to cross it."

Reno smiled at her, with a strange feeling inside. He was exhausted, and felt desperately dizzy and shaky, like he'd just recovered from some terrible illness. Yet for the first time in a long time, he felt comfortable. He wasn't sure if he was slightly delirious, or if it was for real, but two people looking out for him in one day was really quite something.

"I'd better go now." Tia said, smiling at Reno still. "It's getting dark… are you gonna be alright?"

"Well, what would you do if I said I wasn't?" Reno said, smirking.

"Well, I would stay." Tia said. Reno wasn't sure if she was taking him seriously or not.

"Only kidding." Reno said, tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Go on, I'll be fine."

Tia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him warmly before standing up and slinging the bag around her shoulders again.

"I'll see you later." She said, walking out and closing the door behind her. Reno was left alone, and it was strangely quiet without any company, despite the fact he had spent most of his life alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Ok, lets get a couple of things straight first. First, I know that the events in this story are not accurate, so please don't review or PM me telling me that Tseng is not the original leader of the Turks, coz I KNOW! I prefer writing for Tseng coz I've had more practise and I know more about him, I hardly know anything about Verdot.

Secondly, this is the first time I've put Gun in my stories, so she may be a bit OOC, coz I don't know a lot about her either.

Enjoy

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Chapter 5 

Reno opened his eyes, looking around him briefly; he hadn't meant to fall asleep. He could feel the pain in his stomach again, but it was more of a dull ache instead of the sharp pain it had been before. Looking out of the window, he could see it was just getting dark outside. Then, he heard a disturbance somewhere over the other side of the room, and a piece of red paper was pushed under the door. Then all was silent.

Furrowing his brow, Reno stood up carefully and made his way to the doorway. The red paper was written on with narrow, black hand-writing, and Reno had to read it twice to even understand what it was saying.

"_Reno, You have been selected to help us on our mission. Meet up with your new boss now, at the Apsel Park, where you first met your blonde friend. Come alone."_

There was no signature. Reno only had to think about it for a brief moment, and decided to go with it. Who knew, maybe he would be able to break out of this life and finally get a move on.

He grabbed his jacket, and headed straight out of the door, after pocketing the red piece of paper and his knife. He could never be too sure.

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By the time he reached Apsel Park, it was almost dark, and most people had already headed home long before now. He looked around briefly, and saw two figures standing next to the building on his right. He headed over, still keeping wary of his surroundings.

"Ah, Reno." The first figure said, stepping forwards. "Glad you could make it. I hope we didn't… intrude in your schedule."

"Who are you?" Reno said quite rudely. The man merely smiled and looked at Reno. He had long black hair and dark grey eyes, and an unfaltering gaze.

"Of course. My name is Tseng." He said, extending a hand. Reno took it briefly. "I work for the Department of General Affairs at Shinra. Also known as the Turks."

"I've heard about you, aren't you the ones that go 'round killin' people for no reason?" Reno asked, frowning. He knew he should probably be nervous, but he wasn't.

"To the public eye it may be for no reason Reno, but there is always a reason." Tseng said, staring directly at Reno. "Have you had any contact with mako?" he asked suddenly.

"Mako? I don't know, why?" Reno said, confused.

"No reason, you just have the eyes of a soldier. They look like you have mako in your system."

"Anyone who steals mako from Shinra is severely punished." The other figure finally said. She had a very familiar voice, and as she stepped forwards, Reno's jaw nearly dropped.

"Elena?" he blurted out.

"Don't even mention that name to me." The woman said angrily.

"Thank you Gun." Tseng said curtly. "Now, about Elena. You must not mention this to her if you are to meet again."

"Why?" Reno asked. He was also wondering what made this man think that he and Elena would end up talking again.

"Just don't." Tseng said. "Now, do you think you are up to working for us?"

"Tseng are you sure about this?" The woman named Gun said quickly. "I mean, look at him…"

Reno scowled at the blond woman, already having grown a deep disliking for her. "I'll think about it." He said finally.

"Reno, I need an answer. Yes or no." Tseng told him commandingly.

"No. No one pressures me into doing anything." Reno said. He took one last look at Tseng and Gun, then walked off, not looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Ahh, the chapter shortness. I know it's rediculously short, but I had this in my head, and I wanted to get it up before it went. I know what I mean, and I couldn't really add anymore. Well, I'm done rambling...

Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 6**

"Reno? Reno… wait!" Reno heard the voice of a woman behind him, but he ignored it. Then, feeling a hand pull on his jacket, he turned around, expecting it to be Gun. "Reno." It was Elena, she was catching her breath, obviously having been chasing him for quite a while; he hadn't even noticed.

"Sorry." Reno muttered. "What are you doin' here?"

"I heard everything they said." Elena told him, ignoring his question. "Please, don't listen to them…"

"What?"

"Just… the Turks. Tseng and Gun will not let you go as easily as that. Whatever you do, keep saying no." Elena said, almost desperately.

"Why? Gun… she's your sister isn't she?" Reno blurted out, surprising even himself. Elena sighed. "Yes… she is – unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

"Ever since she joined the Turks… well, never mind." Elena said, suddenly sharpening her tone.

"Listen… who are you?" Reno said, raising one eyebrow, "I want to know why you are so concerned for someone you don't know."

"Because no one deserves to end up like she did… I don't want that to happen." Elena said. She was fiddling with her fingers nervously.

"You followed me, didn't you?" Reno said, suddenly becoming angry. "Why?"

"I'm sorry." Elena looked close to tears, and extremely scared. "I just… I don't know. But I felt like it was my responsibility. I know I don't know you, but I don't want your life to get any worse."

Reno felt the anger at this woman burning inside him, but looking into her deep brown eyes now filling with tears, he sighed. "I don't think my life could get any worse." He said, before walking off, not even checking to see if she was following him.

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Reno took the piece of paper out of his pocket and read it again by the dim light of the bulb above him. There was something deep down inside of him that desperately wanted to say yes to Tseng. But his temper had gotten the better of him again, and he had become impulsive, saying no instantly to protect his already damaged pride. Maybe if Elena was right and Tseng and Gun did come by a second time, he would say yes.

But then there was Elena. The strange blonde woman who had come at him out of nowhere and now seemed bent on protecting him from the Turks. Although he didn't know her, he somehow respected what she had said, after all, she wouldn't have said it for no reason. But maybe this was just a grudge she had against her sister. The two of them did seem very different in the way they acted, yet they seemed to share similarities.

There was one thing that worried Reno most though. How much did Tseng want him on his team, and what extent was he willing to go to, to get him?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Woo update. I'm kinda pleased with this chapter, I tried extra hard Hope you guys like

Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7**

"… _The amount of drug users in Midgar has tripled in the last year. This is starting to become a problem for civilians as the addicts tend to become violent, and the figures for drug-related deaths is quickly rising. The drugs that have increased incredibly over the past few years are Lithium, and much less common; the misuse of mako. Officials at Shinra Inc are saying that a lot of this mako is being stolen from their supplies. More on this as it develops…"_

Reno turned his back on the electrical store and laughed quietly to himself. He often caught bits of news by hanging around outside this shop, but this was a new one to him.

"Hey, Reno." He turned to see the source of the yelling. Standing a few yards away was a man, about a head taller than Reno, with extremely short black hair and a lot of tattoos. It was his dealer. "I forgot to tell you…" he said quietly, stepping up to him. There was no one around but they could never be too sure. "That lithium I gave you last time, it wasn't your regular. Was the mako kind."

"Mako kind?" Reno said, puzzled.

"Yeah… some guy doin' weird experiments with it, managed to fuse the two together."

"Oh…" Reno looked down. So that must have been why Tseng had asked him about his eyes; a Shinra official like him must have been able to recognize the glow that mako gave.

"You got my money, Red?" The man said. Reno looked up awkwardly. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of this man that could rip him in two without trying.

"I couldn't get it…" Reno told him.

"Ah Reno, you know the game." The man said, smiling almost apologetically. "No money, no goods."

"I know, man…" Reno sighed. Luckily for him his regular his dealer was difficult to get on the bad side of. "I'll try get it from somewhere… maybe a raid or somethin'…"

"Listen kid, I know you got it bad, so I won't hold it against ya. I'm gonna have to say though, till you gimme the money; I can't give ya anymore lithium. That's the way it goes. You'll have to manage without it."

"Thanks." Reno said gratefully. He wasn't liking to idea of having to manage without the drug for a while, but it was better than having a bullet through his head. Smiling grimly, the man walked off, leaving Reno alone.

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Reno sighed, running his hands through his matted red hair. The weather around him just emphasized his mood; the rain drizzled down and the sky looked so heavy that it might fall in on itself. The cold water was making his face sting, especially where his forced tattoos were under his eyes. He knew the blood was still caked there, not having bothered washing it off, consequently he could feel an infection coming in the wound. Sighing again, he started to make his way home, only to be interrupted by another supposed bystander.

"Well…" the youth in front of him said. "I don't suppose you're any closer to settling our differences?"

"Damien." Reno said from behind gritted teeth. "What differences?"  
"You owe me big time." His thin lips curled into an evil smile.

"I owe you nothing." Reno stated.

"Oh yeah? Think about how much I've done for you over the years. And then I was kind enough to pay for your tattoos-"

"I'm hardly gonna pay for them myself." Reno said, rolling his eyes.

"Still sore are they?" Damien's grin grew wider, and he drew a knife from his pocket. "How would it feel if I was to do this?"

He brought his knife up to Reno's face and drew it down sharply, etching a deep cut exactly where the red tattoo was. Reno cringed, but didn't say a word; he stayed standing tall. He may not have his health, but one thing he would not stand to lose was his dignity. He would not beg Damien to stop.

"Or how about this?" Damien brought his knife down in exactly the same movement except on the other side. Reno could feel the blood pulsing from both wounds, dripping down his face like a warm waterfall.

"I think you know where you stand." Damien said. Obviously satisfied that he had caused Reno enough pain, he put the bloodied knife back in his pocket and walked off.

"Good day, Reno." came a crisp voice from behind him.

"For the love of… will you just leave me alone?" Reno said angrily turning around. His furious aquamarine gaze met that of a pair of neutral grey ones. "What do you want?"

"Reno." Tseng said blankly. "I merely came to see if you'd reconsidered my offer."

"No, get lost." Reno said, still fuming.

"I saw what happened then. In fact, I was listening to both of your conversations then. It looks like you have nothing to lose." Tseng said. His face was still calm, and he stood with his arms behind his back. Reno looked quickly around to check that Tseng was alone.

"What would you know?" Reno said.

"I know a lot more than you might expect Reno. For example, are you not curious as to how I know your name, and where you live?"

"You're Shinra." Reno said, finally calming down. "You have everyone on record don't you?"

"Not everyone Reno. Just the people that have ever been associated with Shinra. It just so happens, that number is rather high. I have purposely tracked you down."

"Why?"  
"That is of no importance at the moment." Tseng said abruptly. He ran his hand through his sleek black hair. "Now, will you reconsider?"

"No." Reno said. He still wasn't quite sure why he was saying no, but something deep inside his mind was telling him to.

"Very well then." Reno saw Tseng roll his eyes slightly. "I'm sorry Reno…"

Reno paused, looking confused for a minute, then he heard a loud bang from somewhere on his right. Instantaneously, he felt an immense pain in his stomach, and his world turned black.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Sorry about the long wait. If you read 'Recruitment' you will already know I have exams going on. Anyway, I'm soooo happy with how the chapters for this have started turning out. I tried extra hard once again to put all the little details in.

Enjoy **

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**

**Chapter 8**

Reno opened his eyes slowly, ignoring the burning sensation caused by his bright white surroundings. The pain instantly returned to him, wracking his body like some sort of ravaging virus. He felt numb all over, and everything around him was blurred. He shut his eyes again, gradually regain the feeling in his arms and legs, and he could feel he was hooked up to a lot of machines.

"… I don't see why you made me shoot him." Reno heard a voice somewhere to his left, but it sounded muffled, and strangely far away.

"Because I told you to." He heard another voice say. "Don't question me. You were always a perfect Turk until now Gun; what has happened to you?"

"Nothing's happened to me…" the first voice mumbled softly. "I'm sorry, sir."

Reno tried opening his eyes again, but everything around him was still blurry, he couldn't see where the two figures were, and they appeared to have stopped talking. Then all of a sudden, he felt some sort of convulsion in his abdomen, and burst into a violent string of painful coughing. He could sense eyes turning on him as he coughed, but no one made a move to help him. He felt hot tears sting his eyes, and he started to feel woozy again. As he gradually stopped coughing, he felt his eyes close and he slipped back into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

"Wake up." Reno heard a sharp voice above him. He opened his eyes and saw vaguely the brown eyes and blonde hair of Gun. "I didn't think you were unconscious anymore."

Reno didn't respond. He didn't think he'd be able to even if he wanted to.

"I shot you because you didn't respond to Tseng's request how he would have like you to." Gun carried on, "Do yourself a favour, and do what he wants you to next time."

Reno closed his eyes again, willing for Gun to go away.

"…and one more thing; if my sister talks to you again, do yourself a favour and get her to leave you alone. You don't want to be involved with her."

Reno kept his eyes shut, but heard Gun sighing heavily, then her quietening footsteps at she left the room. He sighed and opened his eyes again, relieved that his vision had started to clear slightly, and he could now see he was in a hospital room of some sort. The room was apparently empty, and annoyingly bright. Reno scowled; he hated hospitals.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." a completely unfamiliar voice said. Reno looked over to his left and saw a young woman sitting on a bed right over the other side of the room. She had long, dark blonde hair and looked in fairly good physical condition.

"What?" Reno managed to croak. He cringed at the rasping pain in his throat and chest.

"Do you know where you are?" she asked him. Reno shook his head, not wanting to attempt to speak again. "This hospital lies deep with the Shinra Inc. building. Tseng and Gun brought you here yesterday… I watched them do it."

"Who are you?" Reno said hoarsely.

"I work here. I got injured on a mission the other day." She said smiling slightly. "I wondered what had happened to you when they got you here, and I didn't think you were gonna make it from what the doctors were saying."

Reno smiled weakly, only to find even that pained him slightly. The pain through his body was starting to concentrate in one part, his stomach, almost his chest; obviously where Gun had shot him.

"So it was Gun that shot you?" the woman said. "They must want you bad. Nasty piece of work that Gun, she takes her work seriously. Sometimes a little too seriously I'm afraid…"

Reno coughed, cringing instantly. "Why did she shoot me?" he asked.

"I heard Tseng and Gun arguing about it. Apparently, she was supposed to shoot you in the leg, not the stomach. He said she hurt you too much."

"Well there's a thing…" Reno muttered. He knew the woman didn't hear him because he could barely hear himself.  
"Can you sit up?" she asked him, walking over to him, limping slightly.

"I don't think so…" Reno said quietly. The odds of him sitting up anytime soon weren't likely. He could feel the wound on his stomach; it felt like the bullet was still going through. He wasn't sure whether any sort of bandage had been put on it or not, but he thought he could feel pressure on it. He also felt the stinging under his eyes, where his tattoos were, and he realized that was probably why he couldn't see so well.

"Nice of you to wake up, Reno." Reno looked ahead of him to see Tseng standing in the doorway, his arms crossed.

The woman next to Reno quickly backed off and looked at Tseng.

"Now…" Tseng said, smiling grimly. "Do you think you can co-operate?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **and I updated on wednesday, like I promised

This chapter is dedicated to **carrietheninja**. Happy Birthday, and I hope you're having a great day. I was hoping to get it up earlier in the day but I got dragged off for some unexpected Xmas shopping.

Enjoy

**

* * *

****Chapter 9**

Reno couldn't believe it. Why did people always think that the best way to get someone to cooperate is through physical violence? The Turks… ruled through power, or just fear?

"Why?" Reno said simply, lifting his head up as much as he could.

"Because I'm asking you to." Tseng told him, "You don't have to, but you've had a taste of what will happen if you don't. Although I'll admit, that was more of a taste than I intended…"

"So you screw up and nearly kill me, then you ask me to cooperate?" Reno said; his short temper sparking. "Do you really expect anyone to do that?"

"Yes." Tseng said simply. "Is there actually a problem are you just being proud?"

Reno opened his mouth, and then shut it again. He really couldn't say anything back to that. Adding up both sides in his head, there was really no reason why he shouldn't say yes to Tseng. But even the thought of agreeing with him was so infuriating.

"I… what's in it for me?" He said finally.

"Well…" Tseng entered further into the room. "You won't be living like a street rat anymore…"

"There's nothing…" Reno began, but decided not to finish his sentence. Tseng was right. "I don't …"

Reno stared as Tseng smiled at him. Narrowing his eyes, he sighed loudly. "Fine."

"Ah, good. I didn't think it would be long before you'd co-operate…"

"Shut up." Reno said angrily. "I'm not doin' it for you, I'm doin' it for me, so piss off."

"Ah, I thought we'd end up hitting a snag like this…" Tseng said, completely unnerved by Reno's outburst. "You find it necessary to use so much foul language?"

"He's a street rat. What do you expect?" came a voice from behind Tseng. Reno looked and saw Gun enter, a scowl on her face.

"Thank you Gun." Tseng said curtly. "Well, ignoring your speech problem Reno… welcome to the Turks."

He left it at that and both he and Gun left the room, leaving Reno alone with the blonde girl. He sighed, why was he doing this? He really didn't want to; all it meant was some more people would come to rely on him, and once again he would let them down, and cause more trouble and end up on his own again. He had never let anyone in since he lost his family, for fear of just losing them again.

He cringed as he tried to shift his position, only to cause himself more pain. The blonde woman hurried over to him and smiled awkwardly.

"Are you ok?" she asked him kindly. Her friendly blue eyes darted from him face to his injury.

"Yeah…" Reno sighed.

"You're from the slums?" she asked, sitting back down on a bed next to Reno. "You must have had it rough…"

"Not all slums kids have it rough." Reno told her.

"Yeah…" she raised an eyebrow. "…but it's kinda obvious you did have it rough…" she said awkwardly.

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Reno said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh… nothing. Sorry, forget it." She looked at him sadly. "I was in the slums as well, but I was lucky enough to be able to grow up in ok conditions… if I ignore the drug problem all my friends seemed to have."

"Oh…" Reno said quietly.

"You got a name?" she asked him brightly.

"Reno."

"Reno, huh? You know, that sounds really familiar…"

"I don't think we've met before." Reno said quickly.

"Well, my name's Carrie anyway…" she said smiling again. "I should think I'll probably be seeing a lot more of you soon."

At that, she stood up and exited the room, albeit limping slightly. Reno neither knew nor cared where she was going, but he was slightly interested in why she was so interested in his background. She had recognized his name, so had they really met before? Reno tried to recall, but he had to admit to himself, his memory was not at it's best in a normal situation. Take that and add a hefty amount of drugs, and a near fatal injury, and it's not likely he would remember anything much at all.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I dunno how long it's been since I updated, but sorry if it's been longer than usual. I got immensely distracted by the amount of Bleach I've been watching lol. Anymoo, put lotsa effort and stuff into this chapter, so hope you enjoy **

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**Chapter 10**

It had been a rough night. Reno slipped in and out of unconsciousness, and his normal sleep was haunted by memories of what had happened in his life so far. He didn't even know why; nothing had happened that day that could have possibly triggered off these memories, but as he opened his eyes in the morning, covered in cold sweat, he could still see all of his nightmares clearly in his head.

Reno tried to sit up, but the pain in his stomach told him there wasn't a chance. He sighed and lay back down. He was alone, not even Carrie had returned. He wondered vaguely what would happen to him now he had effectively agreed to become a Turk, albeit unwillingly. He still wasn't quite sure why Tseng had tried so hard to get him on their team, but he was sure there had to be a reason. Sure, he was a good fighter, but growing up the way he did, he had to be. There had to be people better than him out there, so why was there so few Turks? Was there some sort of special quality they needed, instead of just pure physical strength? All these thoughts were mixed up inside Reno's head, and he wanted desperately to get rid of the concerns at the back of his mind, and know exactly what was going to happen to him.

"Reno?" the red-head looked over to the doorway where Carrie was standing. She looked better than what she had yesterday.

"Hey…" he said huskily.

"Can you still not sit up?" she asked him, walking over. Reno shook his head. "Let me help you…"

She placed a cold hand on the back of his neck and the other on his stomach, just below his injury. What surprised Reno most was that this sudden contact didn't hurt him at all.

"This might hurt…" she said. Then she lifted his head up quickly while keeping the pressure down on his stomach. Reno ignored the pain and felt a wave of relief wash over him. If there was one thing he hated, it was having to lie down doing nothing.

"Ok?" she asked, her hand still on his neck. "It's just 'cause you've been in the same position for so long; your body didn't want to move."

"Yeah…" Reno sighed. "Thanks."

"It's nothing." She smiled. "So how are you feeling? You look exhausted."

"I didn't sleep well." Reno muttered quickly. He didn't really want to talk about it.

"Well, I guess you'd prefer to keep it to yourself." She said warmly, as though reading his mind. "Tseng's been asking about you. I don't know when he's expecting you to actually work… You think you can stand?"

"I damn well hope so." He said, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. The pain had been reduced to a dull ache, and he could cope with it fine. He was pleased to find that when he stood up, putting all his weight on his feet, the pain only increased a little bit. His legs ached, and obviously didn't want to handle walking, but Reno didn't want to lie in that hospital bed any longer.

"You okay?" Carrie asked, her hand on his back.

"Yeah…" Reno said.

"Umm… I hope I don't get it from Tseng now." Carrie said awkwardly. Reno looked at her, confused. "He had this thing about people getting hurt having exactly the right amount of bed-rest."

"Well, he'll have to get over it… 'cause I ain't stayin' there any longer." Reno said. He flexed his ankles, and everything seemed to be in working order.

"Yeah, but it won't be any good if you keel over in the middle of a mission." Carrie said. She looked slightly concerned.  
"I'm fine." He said bluntly. He took a step forward and looked at Carrie. "So what now?"

"Well…" Carrie said, wringing her hands, "I guess you ought to go and see Tseng. He'll give you an assignment or whatever… or tell you to get your ass back to hospital."

"It's his fault I was in there in the first place. The least he could do is grant me the dignity of lettin' me out when I want out." Reno sighed, and left the room in search of Tseng.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hmmmmm, well I'm hoping I won't be _quite _as distracted by Bleach, now I've finished watching the English ones over. Aaaaaanymoo... here's another update for ya.

Enjoy **

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**Chapter 11**

"I was wondering how long it would take you to leave that bed." Tseng said distantly as Reno entered his office.

"Huh?"

"You don't seem like the type to want to stay still for long." He replied blankly. "Right, what do you want?" he put the papers in his hand on his desk and looked up at Reno expectantly.

"I dunno… Carrie told me to come see you." Reno shrugged.

"Ah, ok then." He stood up. "I have a… proposition for you. I assume you won't want to stay where you are currently… living?"

"Not really…" Reno said, wondering where this was going.

"Carrie's family own a lot of apartments in this area, that Shinra regularly rent for employees. There happens to be one spare. It's not much, but I should imagine it's better than you're used to." Tseng told him. "What do you say?"

"Ok…" Reno said unsurely. He frowned at Tseng, expecting him to go on. If he had learned one thing in life, it was that nothing came for him without a catch. "What's-"

"There's no catch." Tseng said suddenly. "Here's the key. Go and find Carrie and she'll take you home."

* * *

"This ok for you?" Carrie said smiling at the astonished look on Reno's face. Tseng was right; it wasn't much, but it was a marvellous place to live. They had just entered a small, yet cosy living room.

"Yeah…" Reno said slightly breathlessly. "It's great."

"You got anything you need to get from your old place?" she asked him, still smiling.

Reno shook his head. "Nothing."

"You haven't got anything at all?" Carrie asked shocked. "Wow, Tseng was right. You do have it rough."

Reno smiled weakly and put his hand in his pocket, pulling out the little black book.

"What's that?" Carrie asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Photo." Reno said quickly.

"That's you?" Carrie said, pointing to where Reno stood in the picture. "So is this your family?"

"Yeah… that's my sister Rihanna, and my mom and dad." Reno said. He looked at the picture longingly. "They died."

"Oh…" Carrie said. She clearly didn't know what to say at the risk of upsetting Reno. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." Reno closed the book and put it back in his pocket. "What's past is past."  
"True…" Carrie seemed to not want to look at him. "But I…"

"Topic change?" Reno suggested, smiling. Carrie looked him in the eyes and couldn't help but smile back. "

"You got a key?" Carrie asked. Reno held the key in the air hooked on his finger. "Okay, well… Tseng told me to tell you that he wants you at work at 8 A.M tomorrow." She told him. "Is there anything you need?"

Reno looked around. The apartment seemed to be pretty decently furnished, and he couldn't think of anything that he could possibly want, so he shook his head. "Thank you."

"It's nothing. You can't go on living like you did. I mean… I don't know anything about your life, but I'm pretty sure, just from the way you look now that it wasn't enjoyable."

"Yeah… you could say that." Reno sighed and sat down on the couch.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see ya."

He was alone, and despite the fact he had spent most of his life alone, everything was strangely quiet. He could usually hear the traffic, or drunken yells from the streets, but here he could hear nothing. He shook his head slowly; he had told Carrie there was nothing he needed to get from his old home, but that wasn't entirely true. There was plenty worth taking, but he didn't want to. He had just made a decision to himself, probably inspired by his job opportunity, that he was going to forget his old life, and try and make up for the corruption that had been in his mind all his life. The drugs, the alcohol, the unnecessary violence; he would end it here. He looked up at the pristine white ceiling; and for the first time he could remember, he smiled. Not a fake smile, nor a smile to comfort someone else, but a genuine smile.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **; it seems like forever since I updated anything, so here's a nice long chapter. I was trying to write a christmas chapter for 'The Reno Diet' but I couldn't do it, so I did it for this one instead.

I've been on FF for about nine months now, and not once have I regretted starting it. So thank you so much to every single one of you that's read, reviewed or faved, and all of you have a fantastic Christmas!

Oh yeah, just a warning - there's a bit of swearing in this one. **

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**Chapter 12**

In the excitement and distraction of his new job, Reno had not noticed the season that has quickly closed in. The sense of excitement that filled the air was fast spreading, but it did not pass Reno's cold walls. He was completely oblivious to anything that was going on around him, just like he had been every year previously. But things were different this year; he had a real home and a job. But could Christmas really be that different?

He remembered Christmas from his youth; truly the most difficult times in his already messed up life…

_

* * *

Reno stood outside the shop, taking a drag of his cigarette. 11 years old was young to be doing such a thing; he knew it, but how else could he cope with the pain of this time of year. _

_He was tall for his age, about 5'8, and anyone who passed him just ignored him, assuming he was grown up enough to take care of himself. How wondrous that a cigarette in ones hand could make you look so much different from any other youngster. _

"_Hey, Red…" Reno looked over to the tattooed figure standing near him. "You got anything for me for Christmas?" The man smiled and Reno pulled out a bundle of money from his pocket. _

"_Good man. It's good that you're keeping up with payments. You'll be pushed to find another guy that'll sell them cigarettes to an 11-year-old."_

"_Thanks." Reno said. He knew his voice sounded blank and empty, but he didn't care. This man knew more than anyone how much he had been corrupted in his life and it probably didn't even cross his mind to ask him if he was ok. _

"_Well… I'll see ya around Red. Have a… good Christmas." _

_Reno smiled pitifully. Four simple words that were meant to cause good cheer had just made his heart sink even lower than it was. He felt cold inside, despite the warm colored lights that surrounded him. He ran his hand through his fiery hair with frost-bitten fingers. He caught site of his reflection in the window of the shop, his pale skin was somehow still white, and completely unaffected by the icy wind biting into him. _

_He took a last drag of his cigarette and threw it to the ground, sighing. He didn't know what to do because his 'landlord' had told him not to return to his room until 6 P.M. because of some sort of Christmas event. What would he do on Christmas Eve for 4 and a half hours? He stepped away from the shop window and put his icy cold hands in his pockets. He didn't think he had ever been so cold before in his life, so to try and shield himself from the winter wind he headed towards the nearest alley way. _

"_Well, well, well. Looks like you're having a good Christmas."_

"_Piss off Damien." Reno didn't even have to look up to see who it was. He had known Damien for about a year now, and he had just started to get the confidence to stand up to him. Although this originally seemed like a good thing, Reno soon started to learn that he was finding it more and more difficult to keep his temper, and he found himself being hurt and abused more and more often. _

_Just as Reno expected, a blow to the face was his reward._

"_You're getting way to full of yourself Reno." Damien said angrily. "Anyone would think you enjoy getting hit."_

"_What about you? You get kicks from causing people pain just for going against you." Reno snarled. "I'll kill you. If it's the last thing I do, I will kill you."_

"_In you're dreams. You barely eat enough to stay alive, so you're hardly going to be a tough opponent are you?" Damien made to hit him in the face again but Reno was too quick for him and grabbed his thick wrist. _

"_You're the one who's gonna fucking die!" Damien said loudly. He pulled his wrist away and pulled a small, sharp looking knife out of his pocket. _

"_Bastard." Reno jumped backwards to avoid Damien's first attack with the knife. He missed by about an inch. Because of Reno's lithe body, he was able to avoid all of Damien's attacks, until he stuck out his foot and Reno was forced hard to the ground. _

"_This is it then." Damien leaned down with the knife pressed against Reno's chest. "Once again, you lose."_

_He pulled his hand backwards and thrust the knife as hard as he could into Reno. The pain was so unbearable that Reno couldn't even tell where he knife had gone in. He felt Damien pull it out, and heard him say something, but he was so wrapped up in the pain that was wracking his body, he didn't hear him. _

_So this was it; another Christmas left alone. He could see other people in his head, enjoying their Christmas with their families, warm in there homes. Perfectly healthy and happy. So why was Reno left like this?_

_What had he done to deserve this?_

_

* * *

Reno opened his eyes slowly. What shocked him most was how warm he was, like he was no longer outside. He could no longer feel the arctic wind blowing over him, causing his fingers to tingle._

"_Are you okay?" a voice said from above him. Reno couldn't see who was talking, but the voice was very unfamiliar. It was a woman, and from the highness in the pitch of the voice, the picture planted in his head was of a young girl, a bit older than Reno, with a kind face and smiling eyes._

_Then the pain returned to him; biting through him like white hot needles._

"_Can you hear me?" _

_Reno groaned lightly in response and he felt a warm hand on his forehead. _

"_I saw what happened." The girl carried on. "What Damien did to you… it wasn't necessary."_

"_What?" Reno heart leapt and his eyes opened wider. _

"_What's the matter?"_

"_You know Damien?" Reno croaked. _

"_Of course I do. Who doesn't know who Damien is?" the said, sounding surprised. _

"_Right." Reno's heart sank. For one elated moment he thought that someone that was on his side, someone else who was involved with Damien was helping him. Of course he should have known better; nobody would dare go against Damien and help someone he wanted dead._

"_You okay?" the girl asked him again._

"_Who… are you?" Reno asked suddenly. He had to know whether his suspicions were really wrong._

"_I'm…"_

* * *

The memory ended there. Reno could not remember for the life of him what that girl's name was that had saved him that Christmas. As he stared at the flurry of snow outside, the details of that day seemed to slip through his fingers. 

Who was she?


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Well this chapter takes up nearly 1000 words describing something that happens over about 10 minutes. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But in any case, Enjoy **

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**Chapter 13**

"Everything okay, Reno?" Tseng asked him the next day. He had called Reno to his office and was currently sorting through paperwork.

"Yes." Reno said. He knew it was probably important that he added 'sir' on the end of that, but he had more important things on his mind, and Tseng didn't seem to mind.

"Good. Now…." He pulled a yellow file out. "I'm sorry you have to be doing your first mission on Christmas Eve. Of course it would have been sooner if you'd have agreed to join straight away."

"Doesn't matter. It's just another day." Reno replied solemnly.

"Right."

Reno smiled grimly to himself. It was quite astonishing how his sombre view on Christmas was not shocking to Tseng. This job, although he didn't know much about it, it seemed like it was kind of job that needed someone with no heart to do. Someone who didn't care about anything, not even themselves, as to make sure they didn't worry too much about what happened to them while they were working. Did that mean that no one in this company actually cared about anyone? But of course he had already seen some things that proved him right, like Gun for example. She had shown him things that he already knew, that no one on this planet actually gave a damn about anyone else. All that was important to her was that she got her job done, and it seems she wanted to do it in the most painful way possible. But he had also seen things that proved him wrong. Carrie for one thing, she had been good to him, and thanks to her he actually had a place he could call his home.

"Of course, you won't be doing your first mission alone. You will be with Kuroshica, a… distant member of the Turks. She doesn't directly work for us, but she does a lot of mission for us. Until we find you a partner, you'll be doing a lot of work with her."

"Partner?" Reno questioned.

"Yes. All of our Turks are put with partners. That way, no one has to do a mission alone, in case something happens." Tseng told him.

"Oh…" Reno was going to ask what the odds were of something happening, but he already knew the answer.

"Yes, so I'll go through this one with you, as it's your first time." Tseng said, he opened the file. "This is a fairly normal mission, but in a way it is different. Unfortunately we have problems within the company that are getting increasingly worse. I don't know if you've heard in the news or not, but there's been a large amount of mako stolen…"

At these words he stopped and looked at Reno directly in the eyes. Reno felt his heart beat faster as he remembered what Tseng had said to him a while ago.

"_Have you had any contact with mako?" Tseng asked suddenly._

"_Mako? I don't know, why?" Reno said, confused._

"_No reason, you just have the eyes of a soldier. They look like you have mako in your system."_

"_Anyone who steals mako from Shinra is severely punished."_

"I take you remember what I asked you when I first met you?" Tseng said sternly. "Are you sure you don't want to change your answer?"

"I didn't…" Reno started.

"Of course, it is possible for some to have the bright aqua eyes of a soldier naturally. But since I saw you last, your eye color has faded, telling me that they are actually green."

"They are…" Reno muttered. "But I don't know anythin' about it…"

"I see." Tseng expression softened. "I apologize for the inquisition, but if you did know anything about it, it would help our mission. Of course, I'm not saying that you stole any, it's impossible for one man to do this job."

Reno nodded his head without saying anything. He understood what Tseng was saying,

"Ok then. Well… now for the mission." Tseng picked up the yellow file again. "You and Kuroshica are to go to one of the main drugs manufacturers in Midgar."

"Main drugs manufacturer?" Reno interrupted. Surely that couldn't be legal…

"I mean medical drugs, Reno." Tseng sighed. "It seems an appropriate place to start. Of course it is more likely that illegal drugs manufacturers are behind this, but as a first mission, I don't want you to get into trouble. You see, a lot of the illegal drugs manufacturers are very much associated with the medical drugs makers."

"Ok…" Reno was shocked. He only just realized that the lithium that his dealer had been giving him was likely to come from the same company that originally gave it to him when he was prescribed it, if what Tseng said was true.

"Right then." Tseng handed him the yellow file. "Take this, and give it to Kuroshica. Go now and meet her outside the main entrance, she'll know exactly what you're doing."

Reno took the file and exited the room silently. The last 10 minutes were just shocking in so many ways. He hadn't really thought much about his job since Tseng had persuaded him when he was lying in that hospital bed. He guessed now it had really sunk in that he had just taken a massive leap forwards in his life.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **I dunno what happened with this chapter. I completely went off on one lol; it's like nearly 2000 words long. Anyway, I decided to do the whole first mission in one chapter. Enjoy **

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**Chapter 14**

Reno stepped outside the entrance doors and was slightly shocked by what he saw. A young girl stood outside nearby, dressed from head to toe in black. She wore a black bandana to keep her long shimmering blonde hair off her face. He caught her eye and she smiled, walking over to him.

"Carrie?" Reno enquired.

"Right." Carrie nodded, readjusting her bandana. "I'm doing your first mission with you."

"But Tseng…"

"Tseng has a habit of calling people by their last name, Reno." She interrupted. "My name is Carrie Kuroshica."

"Oh…" Reno looked down, slightly relieved. At least he wouldn't have to do this mission with someone he didn't know.

"Is that for me?" Carrie said, pointing at the yellow file in Reno's hand. Reno nodded and handed it to her. "Right." She scanned it briefly. "Ok, come with me." She began to walk off and Reno followed her, slightly confused.

"Where is this drugs manufacturer?" Reno asked her, walking beside her.

"Tseng told you all that, did he? We're going to the Sector 7 slums." She told him casually. Reno felt his heart leap to his throat.

"Shit." He muttered.

"What was that?" Carrie enquired politely.

"Nothing." Reno replied. He had a feeling deep down all along that this would happen. It was pretty likely that he would run into someone he knew on this mission, as the drugs he'd been supplied with all his life were produced in the Sector 7 slums. He didn't care about what Carrie would think, because she probably already knew anyway, if she had spoken to Tseng. But he was worried about what would happen, and whether they would be targeted if anyone spotted them in the area. Reno knew he wasn't exactly the most inconspicuous person.

"You sure? You look a bit… awkward…" Carrie said unsurely as they carried on walking.

"Yeah, it's nothing." Reno told her. "So anyway, what do we do once we get there?"

"Well, we have to enter the building as discreetly as possible, because they know who we are, and if the bosses see up, we're busted." Carrie said. At these words she looked slightly worried. "But it shouldn't be too difficult. I don't know if it was ever mentioned before, but I specialize in ninja skills. That's why I help Tseng out."

"Yeah but…" Reno started.

"If you're worried you're gonna screw up, then don't. Half these idiots that work there are on every kind of drug available, so they won't get suspicious."

Reno didn't reply. She had said that they wouldn't notice because of the amount of drugs they were on, but what about Reno himself? Admittedly because of his lack of payment, he hadn't had anything for a little while, but they would still be in his system. Not for the first time, he began to wonder why Tseng had wanted him in the Turks so badly.

* * *

Reno looked ahead of him, looking at the slums laid out in front of him, and felt a lump in his throat. He had sworn to himself that he would put his past behind him, but he was starting to think that would be more difficult that he had first thought. Every time he left the safe confides of his new home, he would be reminded of his past, and everything that had happened to him. And then there was people he had known; would he just be able to let them go? The main person he was thinking about for some reason was Elena, but if he was to see her again, he would just be reminded instantly of that day when they had first met, and she had helped him out. Everything was just reminding him.

"Listen Reno, I know this is your first mission and all, but you have to keep your concentration." Carrie said loudly. Reno turned his head quickly, not realizing he had been day-dreaming.

"Sorry…"

"It's ok." Carrie smiled. "You grew up here didn't you? It must be difficult to come back…"

Reno didn't know why, but this comment angered him slightly. Was he really showing that much weakness? Right now wasn't the time; in fact, he shouldn't be doing it at all. What was the matter with him?

"Right. Here we go. If you want advice, just follow me and keep your mouth shut. We have no choice but to go through the main entrance, it's only a little building. Ignore anyone looking at you and just follow me." Carrie said in a hushed voice before entering the building. Reno nodded and followed her.

* * *

Inside, the building seemed nothing more than a hospital or doctors surgery. They were in a small lobby with white floors and a blue carpet, and a reception desk stood in the middle, with a young, black-haired woman behind it, reading a book. Thankfully, the woman was too absorbed in her book to notice the pair of Turks slip by. The two of them walked hastily down a long corridor, until Carrie grabbed Reno's wrist and sharply pulled him through a door.

"I've been here before." Carrie said, smiling at the expression on Reno's face. They were in a large room; larger than the lobby had been, and the whole room was line with filing cabinets. "You see we're not the only one's who put all our missions into files. It's a common practise in most large organizations so if anything comes of a mission or task, the information is always there."

"Yeah." Reno said. He had managed to work that much out for himself. He understood why Carrie was telling him all this of course. Because it was her job, and it probably slipped her mind that Reno had grown up alone, and so had grown to be very observant.

"Ok, so we need to look quickly through these files. They're in alphabetical order I believe, but there's still a whole lot of them, so it could get confusing. We're looking for anything to do with mako."

"So the 'M' drawer?" Reno said unintentionally sarcastically.

"Yeah, but there's more than one, so you start there, and I'll start here. As quickly as you can 'cause anyone could come in here."

Reno nodded and headed over to one of the drawers. As he slid it open, he was shocked by the amount of files that were in there. The whole drawer was about as long as he was tall, and it was completely crammed with files of different colors.

He flicked through a few of them, his eye was caught by a few with things like 'Malboro' and 'Mandragora', he'd heard of them before; monsters from around the planet. People went on mission and got killed just to find out more about them. A waste of time in Reno's opinion. They were there and they were always going to be there, and no amount of investigation would do anything about it. Then he saw it, in small neat handwriting across a pale green folder: 'Mako'.

"Carrie." Reno called, pulling the file out and walking over to her.

"Ah, well done." She smiled and took it off him, closing the drawer she was searching through. She put it with the yellow file Reno had given her. "Now, come on." She readjusted her black bandana, tucking in stray blonde hairs, and made for the exit.

"What now?" Reno asked quietly, as he and Carrie stepped out into the empty corridor.

"We need to see if we can locate any signs of mako in the building. It'll be easier for me because I've seen the mako, and as far as we know…" Carrie looked Reno directly in the eyes at these words. "You haven't."

"Ok." Reno said looking back at her sternly. He was starting to get fed up with the silent accusations that people were giving him. Well, he had to admit, he did know more then he was letting on. For a start, he knew the person who had supplied him with the mako infused lithium, and hadn't told anyone. He wasn't even quite sure why he was keeping it to himself.

* * *

The two of them kept walking down the same corridor until they reached the end, where they entered another lobby-type room. There were two doors, one on either side of the room, and Carrie dragged him off towards the one on the right.

"If I remember rightly…" she muttered as she opened the door. "This is right."

They stepped inside, into a dark room, full of machinery of sorts. Reno vaguely wondered why they hadn't run into anyone yet, but then he remembered it was the Christmas season, so presumably most people hadn't bothered coming into work today.

"There." Carrie pointed to a workbench where a faint blue glow was coming from. There was a liquid spill, which was somehow radiating blue light. "That's liquid mako." She told him. "It's not difficult to spot really." She paused for a minute and looked around her. "Come one. We've got all we need, let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: ( **This is so short compared to last time. Oh well... I don't have as much time since school started again.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 15**

If there was one thing Reno hated, it was being forced to wait. Carrie had told him that she needed to report to Tseng, and left him on his own for the last 20 minutes. The redhead sighed loudly, and leaned back in his chair.

"Reno." Carrie's voice came from the door way. Reno turned and looked at her.

"Well?" he asked. Carrie shook her head and sat down on another chair opposite Reno.

"We haven't got a clue what's going on still." She told him solemnly. "The file you found is an exact copy of one of the files we have here in Shinra."

"Oh…"

"There's no way one of our files could have been taken. The security is so high you would be foolish to steal anything." Carrie sighed. "Or at least that's what Tseng said…"

"Well, someone must disagree." Reno suggested. "Or they wouldn't have stolen the mako in the first place."

"Right. So we're just going in circles really. Tseng said he would get someone to check over our files to make sure none of them are missing." Carrie sighed again. "This is getting beyond just mako theft I think…"

"What do you mean?" Reno asked.

Carrie paused before answering, looking slightly awkward. "Before you arrived… there were several attacks of Shinra employees. One person died…"

"Is that why-?"

"Yes. That's why Tseng wanted you to work here so badly. You see, there are an extraordinary amount of Shinra spies all over Midgar. Someone was watching you; probably most of your life, and Tseng decided that you had the potential to become a Turk."

"Oh…" Reno didn't really know what to say. He was a little confused still, but he could tell this subject was bothering Carrie, so he decided not to press it. "So what does this have to do with stolen files?"

"The attacks were within Shinra… basically, it was a Shinra employee that killed another employee."

"So you think that we have traitors then? An employee is passing on information?" Reno asked, suddenly figuring it out.

"That's right." Carrie suddenly looked cheerful. "Well done, you're already thinking like a Turk."

Reno felt a sudden smile form on his lips. He knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but perhaps Tseng really did have reason to choose him.

"Don't get too full of yourself though…" Carrie said, looking amused at Reno's sudden change in expression. "It's far from over yet."

"Right." Reno said, standing up. "But we're not gonna get anywhere sittin' here, are we?"

"Right." Carrie nodded. "So then, what are we going to do next?"

"What?" Reno enquired.

"I'm asking you. This is how you'll learn. What do you think we need to do next?"

"Well…" Reno said, deciding to take a shot for what it was worth. "Since we didn't really find out much about the Mako heist, shouldn't we check some of the illegal drugs manufacturers?"

"Exactly." Carrie said smiling. "You're cut out for this life. Anyway, this mission has been left in our hands, so we have to go ahead to do whatever is necessary." She looked briefly at her watch, and then out of the window. "It's getting too late to do anything now though, so you may as well head home."

"Okay then." Reno said, also looking outside; it was almost dark. The feeling of dread that usually filled Reno when someone told him to go home had been replaced with relief. Yet for some reason, there was a still an uneasiness about his mind that he couldn't quite work out.

"Well, I'll see you later then." Carrie smiled, standing up and leaving Reno. He stood up and made his way out.

* * *

"Reno?" came a call as he left the building. The voice was high-pitched and very familiar.

"Elena?" Reno said, as the person came into the light. "What are you doing here?"

Reno stared at the woman in front of him. Her soft blonde hair shimmered in the dim light, and she had a pink scarf pulled up around her face to keep the wind off.

"I came to talk to you." She said, pulling the scarf down a little.

"About what?" Reno asked, crossing his arms.

Elena looked at the building Reno had just come out of. "This." She said quietly.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Okay, I decided earlier that I'm going to be splitting this story into 2, possibly 3 sections. THESE ARE NOT GOING TO BE SEPERATE STORIES! I just need to make it in more than one section because of a change in the POV. I'm not sure when I'm going to be moving onto Part 2, and out of Reno's POV though. Thank you to all of you who've reviewed so far. I appreciate it so much.

Enjoy

**

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Chapter 16**

Reno shook his head in disbelief. "If you're gonna tell me to back out, don't bother."

"I just… I just want to tell you to be careful." Elena said. There wasn't any kind of emotion in her deep brown eyes. "I know I haven't known you very long, but I don't want to see you change."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Reno said, crossing his arms.

"My sister, Gun… she was… different before she came to work for Shinra. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you." Reno stared at her. Her brown eyes were twinkling in the twilight, her skin was illuminated. "About a year ago, me and Gun both swore we would never talk to each other again. We decided it would be better that way."

"I see…" Reno paused to think for a minute. Could he really lose himself as much as Gun did? Well, maybe Gun was different; she had probably lead a much more sheltered life than Reno had, and had never witnessed anything quite like the work of a Turk before. She had probably never seen how people can change, therefore could never see how much she had changed. "I think it'll be different this time." Reno said, trying to reassure her.

"I hope you're right." Elena said, looking up at the building next to them. Reno stared at her. How could such a simple thing change someone so much that a family would be torn apart? "I understand, by the way." Elena said, still looking at the building.

"What?"

Elena turned to face him. "I understand why you took the job, and I'm not asking you to quit. All I ask is that you be careful."

* * *

Elena's words stayed with Reno as he walked home, and they were the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep. He woke up sharply, knowing he'd dreamt, but he couldn't quite remember what it was.

* * *

"Ah, there you are." Reno's welcome came as soon as he walked into Carrie's office. Reno smiled at her. She was wearing her black bandanna again, which told Reno one thing; he needed to be ready to work. "Reno, I have some… um, bad news."

"What?" Reno asked.

"Um… I was speaking to Tseng earlier, and he seems to think that we're not capable of doing this mission. He think's we're too inexperienced."

"Inexperienced?"

"Yeah… you see, I haven't even been working with the Turks for a year yet." Carrie told him dully.

"Does this mean we're not doin' the mission?"

"No… it means Tseng is sending someone to help us." Carrie said, starting to fiddle with her fingernails. "It's Gun."

"Oh shit…" Reno muttered. "When are we going?"

"Now." Carrie said standing up. "But I have to tell you, please, please keep your temper with Gun. I happen to know that Tseng is having her pull all your strings, and try you in any way possible. You lose your temper with her and she can manage to get you fired."

"Ok…" Reno said. Sure, it was easy enough to make that promise, but how hard would it be to keep it.

"Well then…" Carrie said, looking distinctly happier. "Let's go."

* * *

"I hope you too are ready to work." Gun said snobbishly upon their arrival. "And try to be a little earlier next time."

"Yes, sorry." Carrie muttered.

"Ok." Gun pulled out some car keys. "Since it's not too far away…"

Carrie and Reno followed Gun to a large black car and got into the back.

"Right." Gun started the engine. "I take it you both know where we're going."

"Yes." Carrie said politely. Reno kept his mouth shut, deciding that it would be easier to keep to his word this way. "Illegal drugs manufacturers in Sector 7."

"Sector 7 again?" Reno said, sitting up suddenly.

"Yes." Gun replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Could be…" Reno said, slouching in his seat.  
"Of course, we all know about your little 'drugs problem', so don't worry. We're expecting the worse outcome." Gun said harshly.

"Was that necessary?" Carrie retaliated angrily. Reno stared at her, shocked. It was fair enough that he was having to keep his temper, but what about Carrie?

The rest of the journey was silent. Reno, not wanting to get involved, proceeded in staring out of the window, and eventually Carrie resorted to the same.

Finally, the car drew to a halt, and the three of them got out. Reno ignored the chilly air, and turned to the two blonde women.

"This the place?" he asked, indicating a large building across the road.

"Yeah." Carrie said, before Gun could get a word in. Reno's heart sank; he knew for a fact that the large, tattooed man who supplied his drugs got them from here. "Hardly anyone knows what this place is, that's why it hasn't been stopped. Most people just prefer to keep their noses out and these guys are very good at keeping themselves hidden."

"I see." Reno said. He could help but smirk slightly at the expression on Gun's face. It seemed that he and Carrie both shared the same determination to show they didn't need Gun.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry bout the wait, I've been busy, and also pretty ill. Hope you enjoy this chapter, not much happens but yeah...

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 17**

Even though Reno was expecting it, the difference between the two drugs manufacturers was still astonishing. The lobby was basically non-existent here, and as they walked in through the main entrance, there was no one in sight to stop them. Could such a dangerous operation really be this unsupervised? Reno doubted it, but he was shocked all the same. Neither of the two women he was with said a word, and he hated to seen like a rookie, even though he knew he was, so he kept his mouth shut.

"This place is a lot different to the last place we were." Carrie muttered to Reno as they skulked behind Gun. "Things could get ugly, even though it seems safer at the moment."

Reno nodded in response and they both turned to look in front of them; things were already starting to look ugly.

Gun had stopped abruptly, staring quizzically in front of her. Then she turned quickly to the other two, and turned a sharp corner into the small passageway next to them, without saying a word. Reno and Carrie followed her.

"What was it?" Carrie asked.

"Never you mind." Gun snapped irritably. Reno felt an irritation rise up inside him as well, and he looked at Carrie, whose blue eyes were narrowed.

"You're supposed to keep us informed." Carrie said as commandingly as she could manage.

"I think someone saw us." Gun said abruptly, as though she had just remembered the ruled herself. "He might not have done, but I had to cut us off, just to make sure."

"Ok then…" Carrie said, less angrily.

"Surely the longest route is the safest route anyway?" Reno butted in. Carrie smiled at him, and Reno was sure he could feel the air tense up instantaneously.

"Obviously." Gun said, sneering slightly. She couldn't have made it easier to read her emotions if she'd tried. This just made Reno more amused.

"Yes, Reno." Carrie said, as though trying to rub it in Gun's face. "You're thinking quickly… Gun you know you should give the rookies encouragement."

"He's not a rookie in my books." Gun said, turning around. "He should know these things by now."

"This is his second mission." Carrie said bluntly.

"I don't care." Gun seemed to be getting more and more livid by the minute. What was it? She seemed to have a grudge against Carrie for some reason.

"Ladies, when you're _quite _finished." Reno said sarcastically, deciding now was the time to end this argument. "I think _someone…" _He looked over at Gun. "…has got hormone problems."

Gun looked at him blankly; not even angrily, and Reno heard Carrie giggle behind him. The livid blonde in front of him just seemed shock by his sudden sarcastic outburst.

"Let's go." Carrie said suddenly, the amusement still in her voice. Reno and Carrie led the way down this smaller passageway now, and Gun followed in the rear.

This corridor was darker, and seemed to get darker still as they made their way down it. Every now and then, Reno would get a strange shivering sensation down his back, and he couldn't tell why. Maybe it was just the feeling he had that something really bad was going to happen. Still at least something good was coming with this mission:

"_But I have to tell you, please, please keep your temper with Gun. I happen to know that Tseng is having her pull all your strings, and try you in any way possible. You lose your temper with her and she can manage to get you fired."_

Reno had managed to turn things the other way around, which meant that he could instantly prove to Tseng that he and Carrie could work together successfully and they didn't need help from anyone, even Gun. Reno didn't know why, but he was automatically determined to prove himself better than Gun. Maybe it was a natural instinct, as she did shoot him. She was just a negative person all the time, angry at life, and determined to prove herself; maybe a little too determined. After all, she had 'over-done' her mission to retrieve Reno, by nearly killing him when she was only supposed to shoot him in the leg. Was it possible that she had reason to hate him before she even knew him, and that was why she tried to kill him?


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. It was another one of those where my brain was working faster than my fingers... or was it the other way around?... Ah well. Thanks a lot guys by the way, this is the third story that I have over 100 reviews for... I even have one with over 200 :D

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 18**

Reno looked at Carrie and grinned mischievously. As the group of Turks had made their way through the building, Gun's mood had gotten worse and worse. The livid blonde seemed to be ignoring the two of them as much as possible, just carrying on walking, not seeming bothered if they followed her or not.

Eventually, they reached a room similar to the one where Reno and Carrie had found the liquid Mako last time. It was more brightly lit though, giving Reno the awful feeling that it wasn't abandoned.

Gun, finally deciding to finally notice Reno and Carrie, turned and pressed her fingers up to her lips, indicating them to be silent. Reno glared at her; as if they weren't being quiet enough. Reno stared ahead of them, and there seemed to be movement in the room. Then, something clicked in his head.

Acting on instinct, he grabbed Gun and Carrie and pushed then against the wall, causing them to be just missed by several bullets. There was the sickening crack of the metal bullets on the concrete wall, and then there was silence. Both the blonde women were breathing heavily, and staring at Reno. The redhead wasn't even going to try and decipher the look on Gun's face, but Carrie's expression was of utter shock. Gathering herself together, she dug her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a sharp, deadly looking knife.

"H-here." She said shakily. Reno took it and smiled.

"What about you?"

"I've got plenty… but you've got no weapon."

Reno nodded and kept the knife ready in his left hand. Gun leaned forward again.

"Let's go." She said impatiently.

As the three of them headed forwards, Reno was shocked to find he had ended up leading the group. What shocked him even more though, was that no one had tried to come after them.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise from somewhere to Reno's left. With cat-like reflexes, he vaulted over the strange machine next to him, not caring what Gun and Carrie did. Sure enough, someone was crouched behind it with a gun in his hand. Not stopping to hesitate, Reno trust the knife forwards into the man's neck, causing to drop down instantly dead. Breathing deeply, Reno turned around, to see Gun and Carrie standing there, gob-smacked. Only something was wrong.

"Turn around." Reno said loudly. The two women turned to face the three people that were now behind them. They were all dressed similarly; head to toe in dark, army green. Neither of them wasted any time; Carrie pulled out her knife and assassinated one of them in a similar way to what Reno just had, and Gun punched one of them hard in the face, knocking him backwards. Reno leapt over the machine again to help them.

Gun was being overthrown. Reno tried to help, but she was reluctant to accept it, and the man she was fighting was much stronger than the first ones.

"Give it up." The man said in a gruff voice. Reno gritted his teeth in a snarl, and kicked the man between the legs. He promptly doubled up, but before Gun could gather herself together again, the man had pulled out a gun, and fired.

It seemed to happen in slow motion, the silver bullet went towards Gun's head, and before she knew what was happening, he had fallen to the floor, dead. At almost the same time, Reno took out the knife that Carrie and given him, and slit the man's throat.

Carrie breathed out shakily. "Is… is it over?" She asked Reno.  
"Yeah… there's noone else here… and Gun's gone." Reno said, looking at the lifeless body on the floor. In a space of a minute, her skin had turned pristine white, and there was a pool of scarlet blood forming around her.

"Dead…" Carrie sighed. "What now do you think?"

"We'll have to take her body back." Reno said, going to lift up the dead woman. He looked at Carrie, who was smiling, slightly proudly.

"What?" Reno asked.

"Sorry, it's just… I'm relying on you already. You'll make a fantastic Turk, Reno."

* * *

After a lot of fuss involving Carrie calling Tseng to come and pick them up, Reno and Carrie finally got back to headquarters. Tseng had told them to leave Gun's body in the car, that he would sort it out. There was a tense atmosphere on the way back however, and Reno had the feeling that he and Carrie would be questioned about Gun's death. 

"She didn't deserve it." Carrie said bluntly. The two of them sat in an office that had recently been appointed to Reno. "I know she was a bitch, but she didn't deserve that."

"Life's tough, Carrie, so's this job." Reno said, he was still standing up, and was biting his fingernails. "I though you'd have known that more than me; you've been here nearly a year after all."  
"Yeah I know…" Carrie sighed. "It's just that Gun was one of the more… prominent Turks. This is the first serious death that I've witnessed."

"Well…" Reno sat down next to Carrie. "You're not alone then."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Dunno how long it's been since I updated this... oh well D This is a pretty short chapter, sorry about that, but I've had a lot of random, sudden work to do 

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 19**

Reno lifted his head proudly.

"That's all there is to it." He said proudly. It had taken him a while, but he thought he had finally gone through the details of Gun's death thoroughly enough to Tseng.

"I see…" Tseng put his fingers together gingerly. "I apologize for the quiz, Reno. It is procedures, after all."

"Yeah, sure." Reno said slightly impatiently. He stood up without being told to, and although Tseng looked slightly shocked momentarily at his attitude, he appeared to not mind too much.

"You may leave." The raven-haired man said nodding.

The redhead wasted no time in leaving Tseng's office; for some reason, he hated being in there, it seemed to always succeed in putting him in a dismal mood.

Reno was finding it quite amusing though, how Tseng's behaviour around him had developed in such an unusual way. He half-expected to get a half-hour lecture about attitude problems from the way he had been talking to him the last 10 minutes. It seemed that Tseng was ignoring Reno's increase of snapping and cussing for some reason. The only reason Reno could think of was guilt. He still had a dull pain in his stomach where the bullet had been embedded, and he wasn't about to forget that incident. Tseng didn't seem the type to be bothered about things like that though…

"Reno!" A high-pitched voice almost squealed. Reno looked sharply behind him to see Carrie running towards him, a slight smile on her face.

"Carrie, hey." Reno said. For some reason, he was extremely happy to see the blonde. He looked down at her, she was still dressed in snug-fitting black clothes, and her black bandanna, and Reno had to admit, she looked very beautiful. But for some reason, at the moment, his mind kept jumping the blonde girl he only knew as an acquaintance; Elena. He wasn't sure what would be going through her head right now, did she even know Gun was dead?

"Be right back." Reno said quickly, heading off in the directing of Tseng's office again.

"Reno?" Carrie gasped. Reno heard her footsteps catching up with him. "Where are you going?"

Reno ignored her and went straight into Tseng's office without knocking.

"I'm supposing there's a reason you didn't knock?" Tseng said politely.

"Will Gun's family be told?" Reno asked quickly.

"About her death?" Tseng asked. "The only living family she has left is… Elena I believe?"

"Yeah…" Reno sighed. For some reason his heart was starting to ache. "Don't tell her."

"Hmm… any particular reason?"

"I want to tell her." The redhead told him. Reno was shocked with himself. He didn't really know why he was doing this.

"Do you know her well?" Tseng had a strange look in his eye, like he understanding exactly what Reno was feeling somehow.

"No… I just feel like I should…" Reno stopped there, not wanting to go into any more of it. He just prayed that Tseng really did understand.

"Very well." His boss replied, running a hand through his slick, black hair. "You have until tomorrow evening. If you haven't done it by then, I'm afraid it is my duty to do it myself."

"Fine." Reno sighed and left the office without another word. Carrie had been waiting outside, and Reno wasn't sure if she was following him now or not, nor did he much care. The only thing on his mind was how he would tell Elena about her loss. He knew she and Gun were never close, but they were still sisters after all. No matter how much they seemed to hate each other, it was extremely rare for sibling to seriously wish death upon each other. How would she take the news? And more importantly, would she somehow manage to pin the blame on Reno? He was there after all, and all she had to go on was his word. Would she believe him?


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **I'm pretty proud of this chapter, there's not a lot of speech in it, which is good for me. I use too much speech lol. I kind go off on one on the second half, but yeah...

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 20**

Reno sat on the park bench he had sat on so many times before. This was the place he had first met Elena, and since he didn't know where she lived, he had hoped he would see her here again. He felt terrible, and although he wanted to tell Elena, he still couldn't shake the feeling that she would react badly to her death.

"I though I'd find you here."

Reno turned around to see a familiar blonde behind him. She looked as radiant as she ever had done, and was even smiling slightly. This told Reno she didn't know; if she did then she wouldn't have had that twinkle in her brown eyes. Reno swallowed hard; did he really want to be the one to see that twinkle vanish from her eyes?

"Thank you, Reno." She said suddenly. She smiled wider, and it seemed to warm Reno's heart. He felt unlike he had ever felt before.

"For what?" the red-head asked. He hadn't even told her yet.

"You'll be glad to hear I already know about Gun…" the blonde went on. Her smile never faltered.

"I came to tell you…" Reno said. He suddenly felt angry; he had wanted to be the one to tell Elena. He was sure of it.

"I know you did. That's why I'm thanking you."

"Good to see you ain't one of the pessimistic bastards that usually live around here." Reno said suddenly. He was glad to hear his voice had returned to it's usual sly, sarcastic quality.  
"That's right." Elena grinned, positively glowing with pride. "I'm happy to see you're getting better Reno. Slowly but surely."

* * *

Getting better? Reno thought for the rest of the night; what did that mean? There had never been anything wrong with him, nothing serious anyway.

But then again… he thought of his life before the Turks, and it seemed unreal. He couldn't quite believe he had come so far in such a short space of time. Could that be what Elena had meant? Now he didn't have Damien trampling over him, he was a lot happier.

That raised another thought; Damien. The last time Reno had seen him, he had just been shot by whoever was helping Reno; probably Tseng. Damien couldn't have been too happy with someone doing that to him, and Reno was slightly surprised that Damien hadn't tried to come after him again. Part of him hoped that Tseng had sorted him out for good, but part of him was slightly worried as to what might happen in the future.

Reno drained his coffee and looked around his surroundings. He was still in the apartment Carrie had provided him with, and although it was beautiful, warm and homely, there was something missing. Not for the first time in his life, he was desperately lonely.

He remembered the times when he was young, when he didn't get a chance to say much. Being the talkative person he was he began talking to himself; leading most people into thinking he was crazy.

Sometimes he had to force himself to be quiet. He was 15 now, and it was only 3 years ago he had suffered terribly at the expense of opening his mouth. In his family, his sister Rihanna had died first. She had never looked particularly feeble. In fact, she was better built than Reno himself. She was slightly better fed, since Reno did his best to care for her. But one day, Reno had gone upstairs to wake his sister up, and she lay on her bed, her skin gray and her grass colored eyes were lifeless. The doctors had said it was a bleed to the brain, but Reno had never understood. He knew he loved his sister, and he wanted her to come back.

Next to die was his father. Although Reno had loved him very much, he had been a dreadful alcoholic, and had died just over 4 years ago of liver failure. About a year later, his mother came home with a boyfriend. He was tall, well built and handsome. With Reno's mothers long red hair and emerald eyes, and her boyfriend's thick black hair and brown eyes, they looked like a beautiful couple. How his mother managed to get this man Reno never understood. He was rich; and the rich never associated with the poor. It didn't take long before he moved in, and they were even to be married.

Then came the day when the abuse started. Reno's mother had gone out to work, and his 'step-father' had come home in a steaming mood. Reno had opened his mouth to say something and a strike to the face was what he received. That striking purple bruise stayed there for weeks, and before Reno had gotten around to telling his mother about it, his 'step-father' had already told her he walked into a door. Reno didn't argue; he saw the livid glint in the man's eyes when he started to open his mouth.

Over the next few months, the abuse got worse. A lot worse. When Reno's mother came home form work one day to find her son laying on the couch with two black eyes and 3 broken ribs, Reno had told her he had fallen down the stairs. She had believed him of course… but Reno still couldn't understand how anyone could be so naïve.

One day, Reno entered his house to find his mother, sitting at the table in tears, a purple bruise on her face. She had told Reno that she realized what had been happening to him, and she apologized, the tears still streaming down her face. It was alright after that, and they never saw the man again… until the day Reno's mother died.

The continuous black eyes Reno had received had permanently impaired his vision slightly, and the bruises took a very long time to go away. But they went, and all of these events were in his memory now; he had no marks to prove they even happened. But he knew they had, and since then he had had nobody to comfort him. He'd had to deal with everything on his own… which ultimately lead back to Damien.

What would he do about the menace? He was a Turk now; he knew he was getting stronger by the day, both mentally and physically. But he doubted that would stop Damien from getting what he wanted. When Reno looked at the big picture, Damien had tried to kill him before, so what was stopping him trying again?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **I'm finally starting to catch up with updates and such. This is kinda short but nevermind. The flashback bit it basically Carrie telling Reno her feelings, but I thought it would be more interesting as a flashback, rather than lines of speech. (I hate too much speech lol)**

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**Chapter 21**

"Reno, what's up?"

Reno stared at Carrie, not quite sure what to say. He hated getting in these thoughtful states, because people always assumed there was something wrong with him.

"Nothing…" he said, biting his fingernail. "Just thinking."

He wasn't lying. He had been thinking all morning about one thing. Elena. Why had she not been bothered about Gun? She had smiled and thanked him, but she didn't look sad at all. Something had happened between the two of them, and Reno wanted to know what it was. What could happen between two sisters that would make them hate each other so? Maybe he didn't really want to know.

"We s'posed to be doin' anythin'?" Reno asked, attempting to return to his frame of mind.

"No, I don't think so…" Carrie said, sitting on the edge of Reno's desk. "We were supposed to be doing a follow-up for the drugs manufacturer's mission, but because of what happened…"

"Right…"

Reno had been sitting in his newly appointed office for several hours, the memories of his conversation with Elena the night before running through his head over and over. He knew he was probably supposed to go and ask for some work to do, but he really didn't feel like it. After all, if they were that desperate for him to work, they should have come and found him. He had thought Carrie had come to give him some work, but it turned out she was almost as clueless as he was.

He didn't like to admit it, even to himself, but Reno was a little insecure. He was still getting over Gun's death, and it had only just occurred to him that Gun was a highly trained professional, much better than Reno was. Did this mean that Reno could come down much easier than Gun? How long before he was shot down dead?

"What are you thinking about?" Carrie asked. She was obviously starting to know Reno enough to tell that there was something to worry about when he was quiet.

"Nothin'…" Reno shook his head. "I was just hopin' we'd get somethin' to do."

"Bored?" Carrie asked. "Yeah, it get's like this."

"Hmm."

"You've earned a break though." She carried on, pushing her long hair behind her ear. "You're doing so well. I'm proud of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah… you've come so far. To be honest, when they brought you into the infirmary…"

… _She watched as they lay the boy down on the bed. Boy… well man really. His red hair didn't hide the amount of blood matted in the matted mess. Carrie had thought she had it bad, being stuck in the infirmary for days with a fractured ankle, when this poor man was obviously on the verge of death. _

_As they left him alone, Carrie stood up carefully and limped her way over to the unfortunate man. His red hair was still matted, falling delicately over his pure white face. He looked fragile, like if he stood in the lightest wind he would be blown away. As Carrie registered the tubes coming from his throat, nose and hands, she became less and less sure of whether this man was going to make it through the night…_

"You were that worried about me and you didn't even know me?" Reno said, smirking. "Must be the charm."

"Trust me…" Carrie said, raising an eyebrow, "You were anything but charming on that night."

"Well, there's nothin' stopping that happenin' again…" Reno muttered.

"You're worried? Is it because of Gun?"  
"Nah, I'm fine…" Reno said.

"Hmph, well whatever you say." Carrie said, rolling her eyes. "But listen… with the progress you've been making, you'll be twice the Turk Gun ever was."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **New chapter, yay! Now then, if you've been paying attention, I did say that this story was going to have 2 parts. It won't be too long now before I'm on the second part. When I get onto it, it's going to be from Rude's POV, so it should be interesting. I'll let you know when I'm nearer the end.

Also, I've recently put a poll up on my profile, which is vital for a new fanfic I'll be coming up with, so PLEASE take the time to vote, c'mon people, it'll only take 10 seconds.

Enjoy

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Chapter 22

Reno sat in his recently appointed office, pondering on what Carrie had said to him earlier. Did she mean it, or was it one of those confidence-boosters people seemed keen to use? He had been trying his hardest, and when he looked back, so far this job had not been as challenging as expected. Even when Gun was killed, he managed to stay calm, and things came through fairly smoothly. In a way, he was a little disappointed. At the end of the day, the only thing Reno wanted to do was to prove he was capable of looking after himself.

But who was he trying to prove it to? After all, he had no one left. Maybe the memory of his childhood, his parents, how much he had struggled… maybe he would have to do something to prove he was over all that; that he was stronger now. But what would happen now?

"Reno!" came a shout from outside his office door. "Get out here!"

Sighing, Reno took his feet of his desk and walked over to the door. Pulling it open forcefully, he was met by Carrie's flustered face.

"What?" Reno said, a little harsher than he meant to. Reno noticed that she had adopted her black bandana again, which meant one thing…

"Mission time." Carrie said, putting something in Reno's hand.

"What's this for?" Reno asked, looking at the pair of goggles Carrie had just given him.

"Tseng told me to give them to you. You look like the kind to be reluctant to have a haircut, and he said it's either that or hair-clips."

"Oh, joy…" the red-head said sarcastically. "I'll take the goggles thanks." He pulled the elastic and put them over his head, letting them hang around his neck for the time being.

"It's a stupid idea, I know." Carrie said, smiling. "But hey, I'm not the boss."

"So what's our mission this time?"

"Well, this one is more dangerous than anything you've done so far…"

Reno couldn't help but smile. Would this finally be his chance to prove himself?

"It's another drugs thing… we've found another base. It's not the head of everything, but it's gonna help us achieve our… goal."

"So where is it?"

"It's another here in Midgar; the outskirts of Sector 4… it's underground."

"Slums?"

"No… I mean completely underground. Under the slums." Carrie said. She already looked a little nervous. "The place has been abandoned… it has been for ages. It's a pretty unstable structure, that's why it's dangerous."

"If it's abandoned, then why are we goin' there?" Reno asked. For some reason, he was getting more and more excited by the minute.

"There's supposedly some valuable information there that could lead us to our ultimate mako thief." Carrie told him. Reno thought she was going to say more, but she didn't. Sighing, she turned slightly away from Reno. There was something troubling her, and Reno knew it. It was time to be tactful.

"Things seem to be gettin' pretty serious with this mako theft, huh?" he said casually.

"Yeah, that's why they're sending us out…" Carrie said slowly. "More mako's been pilfered recently, and some data files regarding the reactor over in Junon."

"Shit… we're s'pozed to be doing this on our own then?" Reno said. That was something he wasn't expecting to here. He hadn't been there all that long, but even he knew how serious stolen data files were. It was common knowledge that the underwater reactor in Junon was one of the most important reactors run by Shinra, and the biggest. If someone was leaking information about it, someone would end up knowing everything; including way to malfunction it. He knew that there were a lot of eco-terrorists out there that wanted to bring down Shinra, but anyone with half a brain-cell knew not to blow up the reactors. No, they had to be stopped peacefully, without causing damage to anyone else.

"Gun would have been helping us… but obviously…" Carrie trailed off.

"What's happening 'bout that?"

"Gun? A replacement apparently. I think they already have someone they want. Maybe we'll have to go get him…" Carrie looked excited at these words.

"Heh… as long as I don't have to shoot the guy…" Reno said smirking. "A replacement eh?"

"I'm not supposed to know this, but I think that this guy is supposed to be your partner…"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Carrie said. She suddenly looked much happier. "Gun was supposed to partner up with you eventually… I don't know… Tseng has his ways, I'm sure things'll work out."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: **I'M BAAAACK!! Sorry about the long wait, but I finally got around to updating.

Got a couple of things to say about this story now...

Okay, first I've decided I'm going to involve AVALANCHE in this, probably mainly in the next story. I don't know much about the original AVALANCHE, so I'm going with the AVALANCHE made up of Cloud, Barret etc. I know Reno joined the Turks ages before Cloud was in AVALANCHE, but it IS fanfiction after all, and it can be AU.

Also, I know the coversation Reno has with the guy on the train may seem a bit pointless, but since this story is going to end soon, and I'm moving onto the Sequel, I need to do some more development of Reno's character.

I think that's all... I'll give more info soon

Enjoy

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Chapter 23

There were always certain things that brought back memories, Reno knew that. But returning to the train station at Sector 7 was affecting him in ways he never expecting. He was remembering parts of his childhood he had never thought about before, and it was worse, because the more he thought about the strength he would need for this mission, the weaker he felt.

"Reno, are you okay?" Carrie asked him quietly. Reno looked into her concerned blue eyes, not sure whether to share his thoughts or not. The expression on Carrie's face made him feel a little guilty, since he didn't know how his reminiscent mood would affect his actions in this mission.

"Why are we here?" Reno settled on a safe medium and decided to find out why they were taking the long route causing him to feel so sad.

"What do you mean?" Carrie replied, the worry in her eyes being replaced with confusion.

"Why did we have to come on the train?" the redhead asked. "Surely it's like, the longest route?"

"Tseng told me to go this way; he doesn't want to attract anymore attention that needed to what we're doing." Carrie said. Reno got the feeling that Carrie was finding it difficult to explain the real reason, but he decided to leave it and change the subject.

"So the Junon Reactor files?" he said casually. He wanted to keep the conversation going somehow, because for some reason, the more he spoke, the better he felt.

"Yeah… that's a problem." Carrie said shaking her head. "We have no leads or anything… I really don't know how we're gonna get onto that."

"So no leads at all? Not a clue who even took them?"

"Nope… there's only…" Carrie paused for a moment. "No…"

"Go on." Reno suggested interestedly.

"There's only one enemy that Shinra have had trouble with… but AVALANCHE wouldn't…"

"AVALANCHE?" Reno asked. "Who…?"  
"Long story short… a bunch of crazy eco-terrorists." Carrie told him. "But we've heard nothing from them for years. I think the leader died…"

"Just 'cause the leader died doesn't mean the group is dead." Reno said quickly. He watched as the train pulled into the station.

"Exactly, so even though we've had trouble with AVALANCHE before…" Carrie stopped while they stepped across the gap onto the train. "… we have no idea what we're up against."

* * *

Reno hated travelling on trains at the best of times, but his slight nerves didn't help this time. He hadn't been on the train since he was a kid, but everything was still the same. Even thought neither he nor Carrie were in uniform, it seemed to be obvious that they were from Shin-Ra. Reno knew that things weren't going to be easy as soon as he saw that first terrified glance. Maybe it was because he didn't really understand the workings of Shin-Ra, but he hated the way people looked at them. All they were doing was making things safer for the citizens of Midgar, and perhaps ultimately the whole planet. He didn't say a word though, if there was one thing he hated, it was talking about something he knew nothing about. That way, no one could prove him wrong.

"Hmm… ID check in 2 minutes." Carrie said in a hushed voice. "Let's hope these guys know what's good for them."

"Hmm?"

"If they draw attention to the fact that we're from Shin-Ra…" Carrie quietened her voice even more. "… if anyone from AVALANCHE happens to be here…"

"This whole thing is run by Shin-Ra, if there's anyone from AVALANCHE here then they'd be picked up first." Reno said, keeping his voice just as quiet, eying a suspicious looking man on the seat opposite them.

"You would have thought so…" Carrie said, also looking at the man. "But they really do have idiots running this thing."

Reno sighed as the man opposite them coughed obviously. He was a weak looking individual, and he reminded Reno strangely of a rat with his small, watery eyes and tousled hair.

"Did you want somethin'?" Reno said loudly, getting tired of the stranger's non-faltering stare.

"Of course not." The man said. His voice was strong enough to make up for his feeble appearance. He casually examined his fingernails, smirking slightly.

"Well then," Reno said standing up. "Is something amusing'?"

"Oh no…" the man said, his smirk growing slightly. His attitude was making Reno increasingly angry. The redhead turned to Carrie who merely smiled. "… you're a Turk huh?"

"Wow, you got good hearin', go figure." Reno said sarcastically.

"Are you a good example of the people Shin-Ra is employing these days?" he said, his black watery eyes growing wider. "Wow, they've gone downhill…"

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Reno demanded.

"Well… you aren't exactly Turk material are you? A little… runty, don't you think?"

"I'd like to see things from your point of view, but I don't think my head would fit that far up my ass." Reno said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know about Turk, maybe you should be a comedian." The man replied. He was trying to keep his cool but he flushed slightly when Carrie laughed.

"Why thank you, but I'm afraid there are several people in this world that I find obnoxious and you are all of them." Reno said quickly. "Now I don't know if you're tryin' to get some sort of info, or if you're just some sort of perverted, raving homosexual, but either way, I can help you out."

"What?" the man said, looking flustered.

"Yeah sure, there's the door, go find another cart." Reno said, pointing to the end of the carriage. The man glared at him before standing up and heading for the door. "Aww, disappointed?" Reno shouted after him.

"Reno that was great!" Carrie said excitedly, letting out the laughter she had been holding in while Reno fought his argument. "How did you do that?"

Reno shrugged his shoulders, but couldn't help but smirk at Carrie who was still in a fit of giggles.

"Well, thanks." Carrie said calming down. "He needed to go somewhere else; he was doing nothing but snooping."

"Right…" Reno was about to ask a question but it was answered by a loud siren sound, and a red light flashing on above them.

"_Identification verification commencing. Please remain seated." _A loud, female voice said through the intercom.

"Here we go." Carrie said nervously. "Whatever you do, _don't _lose your temper here. Times are hard, but keeping your cool will usually help in cases like this…"


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: **Just had to get this chapter out, it's been on my mind all day lol. It's pretty short, but ya know, it's better than nothing

Enjoy

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Chapter 24

"ID's please?" the brunette woman said casually. Reno thrust his recently acquired ID at the woman, slightly relieved that she seemed nice enough. Carrie followed suit.

"Ahh… very good." She smiled pleasantly and handed both of their ID's back to them before moving onto the next passenger.

"Well done Reno." Carrie said, stowing her ID in her pocket. "Now then, we have approximately…" she checked her watch. "7 minutes before we stop in Sector 4. We have to make it seem like we're working with the Number 4 reactor, and them side-track at the last minute. You know what people are like, and we don't want anyone following us… it's dangerous."

"Right…" Reno said, slightly dubiously. "And what do we do if anyone _does _follow us?"

"Well… we kill them." Carrie said, sounding a little regretful. "Same goes for if we find anyone else down there already. We can't have anyone snooping anymore."

"No risks, huh? I'm guessin' security's never been this tight before?"

"Yeah… it's the stolen files… they have Tseng and President Shin-Ra worried." Carrie said, looking worried herself. "Things like this in the past have apparently almost lead to the downfall of Shin-Ra… and every time it was down to AVALANCHE."

"Heh, figures…" Reno said, turning to look to his left. He'd just noticed a woman sitting nearby, and he was certain she had slipped in during the last 5 minutes, since he hadn't noticed her before. Her head was resting on her knees and she was supposedly asleep. She had long dark hair, and was wearing rather skimpy clothing. Reno couldn't help noticing she was very curvaceous and seemed rather attractive. She seemed to notice Reno staring at her, and lifted her head to reveal a beautiful face where two wine-colored eyes stared out. She smiled nervously and stood up, hastily leaving the cart.

"Hey…" Reno said loudly to the woman checking ID's. She looked up, as did many of the other passengers in their cart.

"Can I help you sir?" she said, approaching him and blushing slightly. Reno felt Carrie's eyes boring into him but he ignored it.

"Yeah, you done the ID checks for this whole cart yet?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"What about that one?" he pointed to the cart the woman had just exited to.  
"Yes, sir."

"Can you tell me the name of the woman that was sitting there? Long dark hair, slutty clothes?"

"Umm…" she raised her eyebrows at Reno's obnoxious description but looked at her sheets anyway. "I can't tell you, its classified information."

"Oh, yeah?" Reno raised an eyebrow sceptically. The woman stuttered nervously.

"Umm… she works for the Department of Urban Development at Shin-Ra… Ria Icashow. Please, that's all I know."

"Thanks." Reno said, turning to Carrie. "Who's head of the Department of Urban Development?"

"Reeve Tuesti." Carrie told him. "What are you thinking?"

"AVALANCHE… that's what I'm thinkin'" Reno said, narrowing his eyes angrily.

"What?" Carrie said in disbelief. "Why?"

"I've known enough scum in my life to know when someone's sneakin' around. She was not part of Shin-Ra, that's for sure."

"Whoa…" Carrie sighed. "You seem to know your stuff. We'll check with Reeve when we get back, okay?"

"Yeah…"  
_"Next stop, Reactor Number 4. Please gather your belongings and leave the train sensibly." _said the female voice over the intercom.

"Come on." Carrie said. She stood up and Reno followed suit, noticing they were the only two passengers leaving from that cart.

The train jolted to a halt, and Reno and Carrie exited swiftly. As they stepped out onto the platform, Reno stared at the familiar, towering reactor before them. Pedestrians that were getting on with their lives didn't even seem to notice the ugly building stuck in the middle of the metropolis, but Reno knew how they felt. During his life in the Sector 7 slums he had grown used to the reactor being there and never even noticed it.

"Come on…" Carrie muttered. The two Turks made there way to the entrance of the reactor, but Carried veered them off at the last second, and the stood inconspicuously behind a support pillar to the right of the exit.

"The entrance to the manufacturers is a walk for about 5 minutes in that direction." Carrie said seriously. She readjusted her bandana quickly. "Are you ready?"


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait, I was going through some stuff...

Anymoo, on a lighter note, I got a new laptop, so I've been setting up all my stuff on there. If it hadn't taken me so long to set the internet up on this thing, I would have had this chapter up hours ago. Oh well, hope you enjoy it

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Chapter 25

Reno breathed deeply, looking at the ruins of the building that was getting ever closer. He hadn't expected to be nervous, but the closer he got to the building, the more he did so. Maybe it was just the fact that everyone had been so careful to inform him how dangerous this mission actually was, or maybe it was just the fact that the building he and Carrie were standing in front of looked so certainly dangerous… Reno wasn't sure, but he knew he had to get on with things anyway. He looked over at Carrie who smiled nervously.

"You sure you're ready for this?" she asked him as they walked.

"You look more nervous than I am." Reno said, smirking.

"Hmm… I just haven't really done anything like this in a long time." She replied, ignoring Reno's expression, "Have you got your weapon?"

Reno tapped his trouser pocket, where a small pistol tapped his thigh with every step he took, waiting to keep him safe. It wasn't really a powerful weapon, but it gave Reno that extra little bit of reassurance.

"I'm really not happy about that…" Carrie said, eying the weapon's resting place.

"What?"

"It's not a very good weapon… not that I doubt your fighting ability, but I just think you're going to end up fist fighting or whatever." Carried shook her head. "Gun's are a difficult weapon to use up close unless you actually specialize in them."

"Hey, you underestimate me," Reno said cockily. "I'll be fine."

"I was talking to Tseng." Carrie carried on. "He said he was thinking about training you up for an EMR… electro-magnetic rod. There's only been a couple of Turks that have specialized in the EMR, but Tseng seems to think you're the right kind of person."

"How does he know that?" Reno asked curiously.

"I don't know really. But you don't really look like much of a fist fighter…"

"I managed for at least 10 years fightin' with my fists…" Reno argued. He had to admit he probably took that a little bit too seriously.

Carrie didn't reply, she just looked ahead as she walked. They were just about at the entrance to the ruined building, and Reno's nerves were starting to settle for some reason. He wanted all the more to prove himself now; if Carrie didn't think he'd be a very good fist fighter… he'd show her…

Of course, he knew that he was letting his biggest weakness get the better of him. He hated when people underestimated him. No matter what it was, he was always determined to prove that he could do it. Ever since he was child he had always been the same. Well, someone with an upbringing like he'd had couldn't be expected to be perfect.

* * *

"Come on." Carrie said quietly. Luckily the entrance to the building was fairly clear, but beyond was pitch black. Carrie made a final adjustment to her bandana and pulled out a flashlight from her pocket. She shone it down the shaft and all looked practically clear.

"Looks good." Reno said, straining his eyes to try and see deeper into the shaft. "All clear?"

Carrie nodded. "Let's go."

Reno entered first, since there was only enough space to go single file. It reminded him immensely of a mining shaft, and he didn't like it one bit. He kept himself calm by thinking of how much worse the situation could be, but gave up in the conclusion that that probably wasn't the best way to calm himself down.

"You 'kay, Carrie?" he called to behind him.

"Yeah." came an unsure reply. "It's just a bit claustrophobic…"

"Tell me 'bout it." Reno said.

He continued walking for what must have been 10 minutes, until just as he was wondering how long this narrow passage could continue, the path become almost instantly wider as he walked, allowing enough room for the two of them to walk side by side comfortably.

Carrie sped up as to walk next to Reno and suddenly began coughing. Reno stopped walking at turned to her to see if she was alright.

"It's okay…" Carrie said between coughs, it's just the dust." She stopped coughing and shone the flashlight around them. On either side of them there were piles of rubble, but all of it was pushed back far enough as to not obstruct the path.

"That's odd." Reno said, looking at their surroundings. "Really odd…"

"What?" Carrie said in a slightly panicky voice. Reno could tell she wasn't a real, experienced Turk at times like this.

"All this rubble… don't ya think it's a bit strange that there's all of this in an abandoned buildin', but it's all cleared neatly to the sides. That didn't happen naturally… almost like…"

"Someone beat us to it." Carrie finished for him, looking slightly relieved. "You're right. Good thinking, Reno."

"That's what I'm here for." Reno said, raising a hand in gratitude for his compliment.

"Alright… don't get too cocky now. We've not even started yet." Carrie said, smiling slightly.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **Apologies, I completely went off on one here. It's a pretty long chapter, but didn't take me long to right coz I've been itching to write it all day.

So, enjoy

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**Chapter 26**

It didn't take Reno and Carrie long to enter the main section of the building. After the long, rubble-filled shaft, they came to a large hallway, obviously purposely reinforced to make a suitable working area. There wasn't much to see in that area, but there were several doorways leading off to separate areas.

"Where to now do you think?" Carrie asked.

"Not sure, but just be quiet a minute…" Reno replied, narrowing his eyes. The two of them listened hard, and sure enough after a few seconds, Reno could make out a quiet clattering noise coming from somewhere nearby. Carrie looked at Reno, who ignored her and stared forwards at the door nearest to them.

"That way." He said, pointing at the door.

"How do you know?" Carrie asked.

"Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Never mind." Reno said, shaking his head.

The two of them walked forwards, and Carrie shone her flashlight at the door, where a padlock was clearly bolted shut. Carrie looked at him, worry in her blue eyes, but Reno merely smirked, and began fishing around in his pocket. After a minute or two, he pulled out what he was looking for; a paperclip. He bent it so it was straight, and put one end in the padlock, beginning to pick the lock.

"How many people carry a paperclip around with them in their pocket?" Carrie asked disbelievingly.

"Trust me; these things have helped me more in my life than any gun or knife." Reno told her. He was slightly surprised at how shocked Carrie was at his methods; perhaps the way Reno's mind worked was a little more different than what he first thought.

* * *

It was an eerie sort of place; it looked so derelict yet it seemed quite clean. Reno couldn't see beyond about a meter around him because Carrie had wisely turned the flashlight off just in case they ran into anyone. All seemed clear though, except the small clattering noises he had heard outside. But of course, they were never going to find anything if they couldn't see. Reno nudged Carrie lightly.

"Gimme the flashlight." He said as quietly as he could so Carrie could hear him. Carrie did as she was told and placed the tool carefully in Reno's hand.

The redhead put his hand over the end of the light, and flicked it on, so only a small amount of barely traceable light passed through the gaps between his fingers. He stepped forwards, feeling subconsciously that Carrie was right behind him. He hadn't taken three silent steps, when he heard a small cough, coming from right ahead of them. Reno shook his head and took his hand away from the end of the light, shining it in the exact direction he had heard the cough coming from. Reno eyes instantly lay upon a man, standing next to some sort of bench and staring at the two Turks. He looked awfully familiar to Reno…

"Oh… crap." Reno took a few steps forwards, not much caring whether Carrie followed. The terrified gaze the man was giving him quickly faded, and turned into a dull smile.

"Well, well, Red." The man stopped what he was doing and stepped away from the bench, walking towards Reno. His colorful tattoos caught Reno's eyes, as they glimmered in the torchlight, and his short black hair was exactly the same as Reno had always remembered. His mind was cast back to the day he first met this man; his dealer. He had been told his name, it was Derek, but Reno hardly ever called him that. He tried to start as few conversations with people as possible usually. "Do you realize you still owe me money?"

"Shut up." Reno said, resting his left index finger on the handle of the gun in his pocket.

The man's eye twitched. "What happened to you Red? You've seen better days." He said tauntingly.

"What are you doin' here?" Reno said confidently.

"My job." The dealer named Derek replied hastily. "The drugs you took for granted aren't easy to get you know, Red."

"I know, but you weren't forced into this…" Reno said hopelessly. He heard Carrie shift restlessly behind him.

"There are more powerful forces than me, kid." The dealer said. "You always were naïve. Don't you see where all this leads to?"

"Enough." Reno said. He could feel his heart pounding. He did not want to be reminded of his life before the Turks. "Drop the bag." He commanded just as Derek picked up a large bag off the bench next to him. He pulled something out before dropping the bag on the floor. There was a small clicking noise, then a sizzle, before a flare lit up red in his hand.

"See you, Red." He made a move for the door, but Carrie stepped in at the last minute, holding one of her small knives up to his throat.

"You ain't as smart as I once thought…" Reno said, stepping over to him. He dropped the flare on the floor.

"He's not as stupid as you think he is now either." came a voice from the doorway. Reno turned to face where the voice had come from, as did Carrie, when suddenly an immense pain washed over Reno, started from the very top of his head. He heard someone scream, probably Carrie, and was struggling to keep with what was happening.

'_What? I've been in worse scrapes than this…'_

Reno shook his head forcefully and looked up. His vision fast returned to him, and his heart leapt to his throat as he saw what was happening. Carrie was being quickly over-powered by Reno's old 'friend' and the brute whom Reno did not recognize. Ignoring the burning guilt of letting himself be beaten down that easily, Reno pulled out his gun from his pocket, and took aim.

It was good timing, but bad. Good in the sense that it saved Carrie's life, and bad because Derek pulled out a gun and fired at exactly the same time Reno did. Reno's bullet shot the stranger down dead, but Derek's bullet caught Reno, and buried itself deep inside his left forearm. It was instant agony, but Reno had been shot enough times in his life to know how to ignore it. It was mind-numbing pain, but he had no time to think about it, since Derek had just finished checking his gun and was satisfied it had run out of bullets. As a result of this, he hurtled himself towards Reno who managed to gather his wits with just enough time to spare to put his right arm up in defense. Derek hurled a punch at Reno, who smiled as he could instantly tell that although Derek was a well-built man, fist-fighting certainly wasn't his strong point. Reno was too quick for him, and he used this to his advantage and forced his left arm forwards, underneath his defending right arm. Despite his protesting, bullet-wounded muscles, he punched Derek hard in the stomach. Winded, he stepped backwards, allowing Reno enough time to reward him with a swift kick to the crotch.

"Reno!" Carrie screamed. The redhead looked over as the ninja threw a dagger towards him. He caught it by the blade, and flipped it over.

"You." Reno narrowed his eyes, anger taking over him. As he grabbed the man in front of him by the collar and lifted him to his feet, parts of his life flashed before him, and he realized what a big part this man had played in his life. A big part, but not a good part. "I want you to realize what you've done to me before you die."

"Red…" Derek choked on the tight hold Reno had on his collar.

"My name-" Reno punched the man in the face. "My name is Reno."

"Please, it's not-"

"Not what?" Reno shouted. "Well?"  
"It's not me. I swear-"

"What?"

"Damien…"

"What about him?" Reno said, loosening his grip.

"Reno!" Carrie screamed. "Do it!"

Reno looked from Carrie to Derek, feeling his eyes fill with tears. Normally, he would have tried to stop himself, but he didn't care anymore. This was the last thing he had expected, and part of him wanted to let Derek go. Why was this so difficult?

"Reno..?" the redhead heard Carrie footsteps closing in on him. His grip tightened on both the knife and Derek's shirt.

"Screw Damien!" Reno screamed. "And screw you!"

With one movement, Reno thrust the dagger into Derek's chest, it was a long enough weapon to kill him, but not long enough to give him an instant death.

"All of you…" Reno cried, "Leave me alone…"

Reno felt on his knees with Derek supported on his good arm. Cold tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, but he couldn't care less. He just wanted the man in his arms to die, and to suffer as much as Reno had for more than 10 years. It was all their fault… him, and Damien… everyone…

* * *

"Reno?"

The redhead felt a hand on his shoulder, but he was too numb to acknowledge it. He could not come to terms with what had just happened, and he wasn't sure why. It was like… part of him didn't want to let go of his old life. He had been somehow he had been emotionally attached to Derek, yet he hated him for what he'd helped Reno get himself into.

"Reno, he's dead." Carrie whispered. "It's over, let's go."

Reno opened his eyes, staring at the lifeless body on resting on his knees. He was certainly dead. Reno picked up the dagger and handed it back to Carrie. Slowly, he moved the body onto the floor and struggled to his feet, only to immediately regret it. He had stopped noticing his arm a while back, and now he was trying to move, it returned to him full-force. The blood loss was making him dizzy, and he felt less than steady on his feet.

He fought the feeling though. He felt Carrie's supportive arm around his shoulder, ready to catch him if he fell, but he stepped forwards, away from her support, and walked slowly and wobbly towards the bag Derek had left on the floor. He picked it up and handed it to Carrie, who took it with a slightly lost expression on her face. Reno made to step towards her but lost his footing and fell to be caught only just in time by Carrie.

"You okay?" Carrie asked.

Reno nodded and regained his balance. He would be okay; after all, it was only a surface wound as far as he could tell, and since Gun had shot him the stomach just a few weeks ago, and he was okay after that. He would certainly be fine now.

After all, despite the tears and the screaming; the wounds and the pain, one thing was always certain through all of Reno's life: time would not stop and wait for him to regain his balance every single time. Life would always go on at the same pace, and that was the only bit of stability Reno had ever had.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: **There's not very many chapters of this left now, and then I'll move onto the sequel. I don't know if I've mentioned it or not yet, but the seqel will be called 'Slither' and there's some info about it in my profile. Not a lot happens in this chapter, but I still consider it to be pretty important.

Enjoy

**

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**

Chapter 27

"Well done, Reno." Carrie said, supporting the shaky redhead. "It's over now."

"Thanks." Reno said gratefully.  
"I'm gonna call Tseng and ask him to pick us up." The ninja said, pulling her cell phone out, only to have it taken off her by Reno. "What are you doing?"

"Don't call Tseng." Reno told her, trying to strengthen his voice. "It'll attract too much attention… the point of the mission is to stay as inconspicuous as possible, right?"

"You're right…" Carrie said smiling. "Good thought there."

Reno couldn't help but smirk at the praise. He was proud of himself, and he had a right to be. He had done it; made the first step in proving himself to Carrie. He was a little hurt, but that was nothing compared to what he'd had before, but he had managed it.

"Okay… are you sure you can manage?" Carrie asked him concernedly. "I'll take this bag, and we'll sort it out when we get back and you get treated, okay?"

"'Kay." Reno said, smiling happily.

Reno didn't notice the claustrophobia on the way out of the building. He figured the reason for it before was just that he was nervous about the mission. Now it was over, he could relax a little more. It didn't take them long to make it out into daylight, and Reno breathed a sigh of relief.

"Feeling okay?" Carrie asked him. Reno nodded confidently. He had no idea what he looked like, but he figured from the expression on Carrie's face, it couldn't be good. "Listen, if you don't want to attract too much attention, give me your jacket."

"What?" Reno stared at her.

"You've got blood all over yours. Give me yours, and you can wear mine so no-one can see your shirt." The blonde explained.

"But that's a _girl's _jacket!" Reno said, his mouth open. "I ain't wearing that!"

"Reno…" Carrie moaned. "It's only for a little while, and it's just a plain black jacket. It's almost exactly the same as the one that Tseng will give you at some point."

"It won't fit me." Reno said, pouting.

"Wanna bet?" Carrie asked amusedly. "You're not exactly big, are you? Now give it here."

Frowning, Reno took off his jacket, ignoring the painful twinge from his arm. He took Carrie's and slid it on; to his disappointment, it fit him perfectly. He hadn't been given a Turk uniform yet, since Tseng had decided to wait until after this mission so he could look a little more inconspicuous. He knew that Carrie didn't have a uniform, since she wasn't officially a Turk, but she always wore black on missions, and seemed to look smart enough for Tseng's expectations.

"There." Carrie said victoriously stowing Reno's bloody jacket in the bag they had picked up before. "It's not too bad is it?"

"Of course not." Reno said sarcastically. "Now let's go before someone sees me…"

Although Shin-Ra headquarters was right in the middle of Midgar, the only place was it could be entered was through the Sector 7 slums. This annoyed Reno as he could see their destination from where they stood waiting for the train, but there was no way to get to it. He had grudgingly got onto the train, and handed the woman his and Carrie's tickets. Just as they had expected, she looked at them worriedly, but a sharp glance from Reno caused her to nod, and they entered the train carriage.

"Still okay?" Carrie checked for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Yeah…" Reno sighed. "I just hope no one comes in here…"

"If they do, just ignore them. You can't raise suspicion." Carrie told him sternly. "You'll be surprised how many people hate Turks."

"Trust me, I wouldn't be surprised." The redhead returned. "I used to think they were all bastards… now I know I was naïve; just like everyone else."

"So, you've been there, huh?" Carrie laughed lightly. "Isn't it funny how things change?"

"Yeah… and for the first time in my life, it's been for the better." Reno said smiling.

Luckily, the two of them managed to get back to Sector 7 without anyone else coming on their carriage. Reno didn't think he would have the time or patience to argue with another idiot who decided to question them. Reno stumbled off the train, followed by Carrie, and the blonde looked him up and down.

"What?" Reno asked defensively.

"You're looking a little worse for wear…" Carrie told him. "You look peaky. Come on, we'll get you looked at."

The two of them entered the building, closing the door behind them. It was a relief to Reno that there was hardly anyone around. Carrie paused for a moment, and then beckoned for Reno to follow her. They went up one flight of stairs, and Carrie knocked on the first door on the left.

"Come in." came a cheerful response from inside.

Carrie opened the door and Reno followed her inside. He swallowed hard, looking around. It was an infirmary; in fact, the very infirmary that Reno had spent his first day at Shin-Ra in.

"Don't look so scared, love." A kind voice said. Reno looked up to see a young, blonde doctor with deep, green eyes. Reno couldn't help but notice she was very pretty. "What can I do you for?"

"Hey, Doctor Evelyn." Carrie said cheerfully. "We've just been on a mission; Reno here got hurt."

"Reno, eh?" the doctor laughed. "I've heard Tseng talking about you."

"Yeah?" Reno questioned.

"Yeah, it seems you've had quite an effect on the team… don't ask me how though." Doctor Evelyn smiled. "Let's have a look then."

Reno cringed as he took off Carrie's jacket and removed his shirt off one shoulder to show the Doctor his gun-shot wound.

"That looks nasty." The doctor said, taking his arm and examining it closely. "Does it hurt a lot, Reno?"

"A bit, I've had worse though…" Reno said smirking. Doctor Evelyn looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hang on… Reno?" she said, the idea finally clicking. "You were in here a couple of weeks ago, weren't you?"

"Yeah… Gun shot me." Reno told her.

"Gun… she was killed, wasn't she?" the doctor asked grimly. Reno nodded his head. "It's a shameful part of your job, I'm afraid." She told him. "How is your wound from that, anyway?"

"It's alright." The redhead said. "Practically healed up now."

"Good." The blonde doctor smiled. "Now let's get you fixed up." The doctor took a closer look at the wound, with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Is the bullet still in there, doctor?" Carrie asked.

"Yes, it is. But it'll be awkward to get out…" Doctor Evelyn told her. She stood up and went to find some thing from her desk. "I'll give you something to numb the area, but I'm afraid this'll still hurt a bit, Reno."

"It's okay." Reno said as she returned with a syringe and a pair of tweezers. She pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, and Reno turned his head away as she injected his arm with whatever substance was in the syringe. Reno felt it work straight away as his arm suddenly felt like it had been plunged in icy water, but he still felt the eye-watering pain as Doctor Evelyn started to remove the bullet. It hurt more than he had expected, but biting his lip, Reno could handle it. However, no matter how good his ability to cope with pain was, there was still only so much he could take, and was glad when he felt Doctor Evelyn move away, tweezers in hand.

"Done." She said triumphantly dropping the tweezers and the bloody bullet into a yellow plastic bag. She went back over to her desk and brought back a bottle of something-or-other, a cloth and a bandage.

"This will sting, but the worst is over now." The doctor said as she poured some of the liquid onto the cloth and pressed it onto Reno's arm. The area smarted instantly, but it wasn't too bad. When she was finished, she wrapped the bandage around Reno's arm and taped it to prevent it coming undone.

"There you go." The doctor said finally. "Leave that alone for a few days, I know what you Turks are like. You think you don't need the medical attention, but then you regret it when you don't take my advice."

"Yeah, thanks." Reno moved his arm, happy that it was a little less painful than before, probably due to the absence of lead.

"See you soon then." The doctor said teasingly. "See you Carrie."

"Bye."

The two of them left the infirmary, Carrie in front. Reno vaguely wondered what would happen next when Carrie turned and smiled at him.

"Well, you did great." She told him. "I'll be sure to let Tseng know when we report to him."

"We both have to go?" Reno asked.

"Yep. We were both there. Plus we need to sort out what was in this bag." She pointed to the battered leather bag in her hand. "This is important, and you are very much part of it. We don't want to shut you out now."

"Okay…" Reno said, flexing his arm. Suddenly something popped into his mind. "What's happenin' 'bout my partner?" he asked.

"Oh… I don't know. We'll have to ask Tseng." The blonde replied. "But from the way you're going, whoever he is, I hope he can keep up with you."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **I've got no idea how long it's been... but I think it's been too long lol. Sorry guys and girls, but I don't know where the time goes. I've been pretty busy - and achieved nothing, but I've try to catch up ASAP

* * *

**Chapter 28**

"Come on Reno." Carrie said, motioning for him to follow her. She was heading in the direction of Reno's office rather than Tseng's, so Reno frowned at her.

"I thought we had to report to Tseng?" the redhead enquired.

"We do." Carrie confirmed. "But we may as well find out what's in this bag first, right? Then we can get the facts in plain view straight away."

"Oh, right. Okay." Reno said. He followed her and the two of them hastily made their way to Reno's office.

"Take a look then." Carrie said, sitting down gently on Reno's chair. The redhead put the bag on the table and peered inside. He could see the glow of materia, and something else at the bottom. Slowly, he put his hand in and fished out the materia. It was pretty standard materia, with basic spells, but it was the item underneath that interested him most. Pulling it out, he saw it was a manila folder, with 'Mako Reactor 1067B – Junon' written in black across the front.

"The missing file…" Reno said, remembering Tseng mentioning the stolen files from Junon. It was a serious crime to commit, and Reno couldn't see why Derek would take the files. He figured there must be someone else much higher up involved.

"Let me see…" Carrie said, taking the file off him. She opened it and flicked through the papers.

"Everythin' there?" Reno asked. Carrie swallowed and shook her head, her eyes widening.

"There's… one thing missing…" Carrie said breathlessly. "The Destruction papers."

"Destruction papers?" Reno said, feeling his pulse rush. "What are those?"

"It's not exactly what you'd think…" the blonde shook her head. "All the Reactors have a code that shuts them down from the inside in cases on emergency. That code's on the Destruction papers."

"But… surely it doesn't matter? Surely it only works temporarily…" Reno asked.  
"Well, yes it does." Carrie told him. "But anyone who knows what they're doing… one cut wire and that's the whole thing wrecked."

Reno paused for a moment, thinking about this information. He sighed loudly. "The doors run off electricity from the reactor, don't they?"

"Yes. No-one can get in, but there's emergency exits to get out…"

"So… these guys could just cut the wire, and take off with tones of mako, couldn't they?" Reno said, the idea suddenly sinking in. "And that's what they want."

"Exactly." Carrie said.

Reno chewed on his fingernail, slightly worried now by the outcome of this situation. What could these people possibly want with that much mako? Surely it was going further than just using it to enhance drugs, because that much mako was just ridiculous.

The redhead jumped as Carrie's cell phone began ringing loudly. "Carrie here." The blonde said, answering the call. "Yes, sir… we'll be right down."

Reno sighed as Carrie hung up the call. "Tseng?" he asked.

Carrie nodded. "We have to go down there now. We'll have to tell him what we know."

* * *

"So the situation is worse than we thought…" Tseng said quietly. He had a grim expression on his face that Reno rarely saw. It had taken him and Carrie a long time to explain everything to Tseng, but after some time, they managed to make everything clear. "This may be beyond our control…"

"Sir…" Reno interrupted. "Can I just say… the guy who we killed; I knew him."

"Knew him?" Tseng said. "On what terms?"

"He…" Reno faltered slightly. "He was my dealer."

"I see." Tseng said, his face falling.

"But sir… this could make it a lot easier. If there a people higher up behind this… I know who will be responsible."

Tseng didn't reply straight away, and as Reno looked over at Carrie, she looked extremely unsettled. Almost like she really didn't want to be there.

"I see." Tseng said eventually. "Thank you for telling me that Reno." He handed over the file that the two of them had given him when they first entered his office. "Take this. I trust you can do a suitable job."

"What?" Reno said slightly disbelievingly.

"Go and see your suspect, and if necessary, go to Junon. We need to get those Destruction papers back." Tseng shook his head. "Just make sure you keep reporting to me, and tell me when you set out on anything. Carrie will help you."

"Y-yes sir." Reno said breathlessly. He hadn't expected to be given so much responsibility straight away.

"Anything else I can help you with?" Tseng asked.

"Actually… I was wondering about my partner?" the redhead said, the thought suddenly clicking in his mind.

"You're partner is due in my office in about 15 minutes." Tseng said looking at his watch. "He won't be assigned any Turk duties until I'm happy he's settle in okay. When such a time comes, I'll let you know and we'll introduce you."

"Okay…" Reno said. He took the file and he and Carrie left the office.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Reno asked as the two friends entered the redhead's office again. "You seemed kinda… distracted back there."

"Listen…" Carrie said, suddenly adopting a serious tone. She swung her head around to face him properly, and her long blonde hair flicked around in front of her. "I know what you're thinking, I don't think it's a good idea."

"What?"

"Damien, right?" Carrie shook her head. "You'll get hurt again."

Reno stared at her, not quite believing what he was hearing. "How do you-?"

"I knew I recognized you from the start… especially when you told me you were from the Sector 7 slums." Carrie said. "You're that kid that was always getting in trouble with Damien… you were in way over your head."

"Who are you?" Reno demanded, staring fiercely at Carrie.

"I'm just like you." Carrie said, her glare suddenly softening, and turning into a sad sort of gaze. "I wanted to get away from my past, but you can never do it. It just chases you, and now it's caught up with you."

"What are you talking about?" Reno asked.

"I was right up there with Damien." Carrie told him. "But I managed to get away myself… somehow. I was only 10. I stowed away to Wutai."

"Really?" Reno said. "Then why do we both have different views on this?"

"I don't know, Reno." Carrie said, shaking her head. "But Damien is strong. That's why he was always in charge of you… and me."

"Yeah but I'm stronger now, and so are you." Reno said encouragingly. "We can do this – it's important."

Carrie said nothing, just let out an exhausted sigh. It seemed to Reno that she was unsure what to do. He hadn't realized that she had been so involved with Damien, even though he doubted that she had had it as tough as Reno had his whole life.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: **Okay, I feel really stupid with this chapter, coz I couldn't remember whether Reno had been given his EMR or not... I don't think he has... but meh.

Sorry this chapter took so long. Enjoy

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**Chapter 29**

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?" Carrie asked, slightly irritably.

"Nope." Reno replied casually. He knew he was annoying Carrie, but he also knew he was right.

"Why not?" the blonde put her hands on her hips and looked at Reno expectantly. "It's far too dangerous to go straight in and attack Damien… or even interrogate him."

"Because I've spent my whole life listenin' to other people-" Reno said, knowing that his short temper was on its last fuse. "- and look where it got me. Plus – what are we gonna do? Wait until someone attacks us? Then we have no chance at all…"

Carrie didn't reply, just watched Reno as he looked silently through the papers they had taken from Derek. He knew they wouldn't do him much good, but he couldn't really concentrate on formulating a new plan. The two of them hadn't said a word for at least 5 minutes, when there was a knock on the door to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah?" Reno called and the door opened almost instantaneously.

"Reno…" Tseng stood in the doorway with a box in his hand. "Carrie, do you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

"Yes, sir." Carrie smiled at Tseng, and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Tseng stepped forwards and smiled.

"Everything alright, Reno?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say that…" Reno sighed, "But go on…"

"I understand." The raven-haired man nodded. "Carrie can be… awkward. Just remember that you're in charge."

Reno stared at Tseng, vaguely wondering how he knew that Carrie was his problem. He guessed it was just some sort of intuition he had gained as a Turk.

"Right…" The redhead said finally. He found himself unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, but Tseng seemed to ignore it.

"Anyway, Reno… I have a few things I want to give you." The raven-haired man pulled something out of his pocket. "You may have noticed Carrie's PHS; we give them to all members of the Turks, and also all members of SOLDIER." He handed it to Reno. "It's very simple really."

"Okay…" Reno pocketed the PHS, deciding he would work out how to use it later, and eyed the box in Tseng's arm suspiciously.

"This…" Tseng opened the box, revealing a long, metal object. "…is an EMR, or electro-magnetic rod. I believe Carrie may have mentioned it to you…"

"Yeah…" Reno said, completely dumbstruck by the uniqueness of the weapon.

"It's been a long time since we've had a new EMR wielder, but I think this is right for you…" Tseng took it out of the box and handed it to him. "Take a look; what do you think?"

Reno took the weapon, with a strange feeling in his chest. It was made of a smooth, shiny metal, and Reno could see it was telescopic. The symbol for Shin-Ra in which he had seen so many times was etched onto the handle, next to a small, black switch.

"Looks simple enough…" Reno stated. He smirked and altered his grip on it so he was holding it properly, then with a flick of his wrist, the EMR extended to its proper size.

"Fantastic." Tseng said smiling. Then he looked at the weapon with a strange look in his eyes. "The weapon is primarily created for right-handed people… I notice you hold it with your left."

"Yeah…" Reno said, looking down at his left hand. "I can use both though, I had to since wrists were my 'friends' favorite place to break."  
"I see." Tseng nodded. "Okay… well next time you head out on a mission, I want you to take this with you, but I want you to take your gun as well, just in case."

"Yes sir."

"And lastly…" Tseng handed him a card with a time on it. "I want you to go with Carrie to a place over in Sector 7; she knows where it is. I need you be fixed up with a proper suit."

"Yeah, okay…" Reno took the card. He had been wondering how long it would be before he was forced into a suit. Tseng smiled and nodded before leaving the office, taking the empty box with him.

* * *

Carrie entered almost immediately; Reno figured she must have been waiting outside the whole time. She looked at the EMR in Reno's hand and smiled.

"Listen, Reno…" The blonde said softly. "I'm sorry. I've been thinking while I was outside, and I guess… I guess you're right."  
"Well, at least you still have _some _faith in me." Reno said, placing the EMR on his desk.

"Don't be silly, Reno." Carrie said. "I have a lot of faith in you… I see Tseng gave you the EMR…"

"Yeah… he gave me this as well." The redhead handed over the card. "We've both got to go to some place in Sector 7 to get me a suit."

"Oh…" Carrie grinned and laughed slightly. "You're gonna love that… I can tell."

Reno smiled back at her, although he was unable to get rid of a strange feeling in the back of his mind. He felt that something bad was coming, and was going to hit him straight on. It was a torturing feeling, since there was no way of telling what, if anything, was coming.


	30. Notice to Readers

Hey, everyone

**Hey, everyone!**

**I'm posting this message on all of my stories, even though I was hoping to update something before this Saturday. Unfortunately I haven't had time. **

**I won't be updating anything for at least another week, because I'm going on vacation on Saturday August 2****nd**** Then it's my birthday on August 12****th**** yay so things are gonna be a bit hectic for a while. Just bare with me, and don't disappear, please!! Last year it took me a while to get my reviewers back, so this is why I'm telling you now.**

**I get back on August 9****th****, and I'll update **_**something **_**as soon as I can.**

**Thanks so much for all your reviews and your patience, guys.**

**Love from,**

**reno-xxxXXXxxx**


	31. Chapter 30

**A/N: **Chapter 30... and Reno get's his suit? It doesn't seem quite right does it? Oh well XD I'm pretty pleased with chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it.

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**Chapter 30**

"Here we are." Carrie said smiling at Reno. The redhead looked up at the building in front of them. Above the wide doorway was a small Shinra sign that was so familiar to Reno. Did that mean this place only did clothes for Shinra employees, or was it just heavily Shinra influenced? Whatever the case, this was one trip Reno had not been looking forward to. "We're just on time as well." The blonde said looking at the card Tseng had given Reno.

"Joy…" Reno said sarcastically still looking at the building. "C'mon then."

The two of them entered the building to find themselves in a small, dingy room. Reno didn't like the claustrophobic feeling that being in such a confined space but he felt safe, since Carrie seemed to know the place.

"Oh, hello!" A sharp but cheerful voice said. If the woman hadn't have spoken, Reno wouldn't have noticed her standing with fabric in her hand in the darkest corner of the room. She put the fabric down and stepped forward into the light. She was middle-aged, but still had the look of being a fairly attractive woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she wore a slim-fitting dark blue dress. "You must be Reno… Tseng called me about you."

"Uhh… hey." Reno said awkwardly. Carrie smiled and approached the woman.

"Carrie?" the woman said. "I haven't seen you in ages… how are you dear?"

"I'm good thank you, Karen." The blonde said casually.

"Okay… Reno…" The woman apparently named Karen picked up some clothes that were laid on the counter behind her. "These are the traditional Turk uniforms, sizes are pretty regular you know… from the look of your height – how tall are you?"

"Five foot ten…" Reno told her. She nodded and examined the clothes in her hand.

"Okay then… it's difficult to tell your other measurements from the clothes you're wearing, so go try on a medium size and we'll see what that's like."

Reno looked down at the clothes he was wearing to see what the shop-keeper meant – he figured it was because both the shirt and jeans he was wearing were a little too big for him. "Okay…" The redhead held out his arms to accept the clothes and Karen laid a white shirt, some dark colored trousers and an identical colored jacket.

"Just go in that room behind over there…" Karen pointed to a small doorway that Reno hadn't noticed. "The light's a little better in there as well."

The redhead carried his clothes into the room, ducking slightly to avoid hitting his head. It only took him a couple of minutes to change into his new clothes and he found it was a surprisingly strange experience wearing brand new clothes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a thing. The black and white suit was a good fit length-ways, but he knew that Karen would want to take it in quite a bit.

"I see you're not a regular suit wearer…" Karen smiled as Reno re-entered the room. She walked over to him and straightened the clothes. "Now… let's see what needs to be done."

She put her hands on his waist to tuck the fabric in to touch his body, the expression on her face when she did so amused Reno immensely.

"Gosh… you're a skinny one, aren't you?" Karen said flushing slightly. "I'm surprised you made it to be a Turk."

Reno coughed lightly as Carrie laughed. "Looks can be deceiving, remember Karen?"

"I hope you're right… for Reno's sake." Karen said shaking her head. She took some pins and started pinning Reno's suit as to make sure she would alter it correctly. After about 5 minutes of awkward silences, Karen began pinning the arms of the suit and started talking again. "You're a slum child, I take it?" she asked.

"Yeah… how did you know?" Reno enquired.

"You don't get many well-nourished children turn out to be built like you…" the woman chuckled slightly. "Make sure he looks after himself, Carrie."

"Don't worry, I will." Carrie smiled. "He's been pretty good at standing on his own two legs when it came to recovering… he uh… wasn't too good when Tseng brought him in."

"Oh, I see… well-" Karen backed off to admire her handiwork. "Well done on getting so far Reno, I'm sure Tseng's very proud of you."

"Well… thanks." Reno said. He wasn't really sure what to say, but it seemed like this woman had been an acquaintance of Tseng's… or maybe the Shinra Company for some time.

"Okay… you can go get changed now." The dark-haired woman said. Reno nodded and headed back to the other room, remembering once again to duck. After a couple more minutes, he was changed and ready. He had to admit it was a relief to be back in his own clothes; they were much more comfortable. He guessed his new suit would need a little… breaking in.

* * *

**A/N: **Well that's all for this chapter. Lemme know what ya think ; Like it? Hate it? I'm looking for criticism guys... And yes, I know, Karen? I suck at coming up with names. . .


	32. Chapter 31

**A/N: **Whoa, this chapter is sooo long for me lol. It was gonna be longer but I decided to cut a bit off. Well, anyway... I know I wasn't due to update this story yet, but I wanna get it finished, coz I'm really lookin' forward to writing the sequel. So yeah, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 31**

"Looks good." Carrie smiled at Reno in his new suit. It hadn't taken the seamstress long to alter Reno's suit, and the two friends had returned to the Shinra headquarters as soon as Karen was finished. Carrie had told Reno to change into his suit, and despite his protesting sigh, he had done so without a fight. For some reason, he didn't feel as obstinate as he usually did, and wasn't as determined not to let people tell him what to do. He was starting to think that maybe returning to Sector 7 to go see Karen was bringing back a lot of memories for him, even though they hadn't even seen anywhere he recognized from his past.

"Thanks…" Reno muttered, unconsciously unzipping his jacket again. He thought he would never understand how the other Turks managed to put up with looking so… smart.

"I would happen to agree." came a voice from the doorway. Tseng looked at Reno with a satisfied look on his face. Reno stared at his raven-haired superior's own immaculate suit, still extremely puzzled. Tseng smiled and approached Reno, promptly zipping the redhead's jacket up again. Reno sighed, not even bothering to argue.

"So…" Tseng smiled his polite smile again. "Have you got any more plans as far as our missing papers go?"

"Not yet, sir." Carrie answered for Reno, immediately regretting it as she earned herself a stern look from Tseng.

"I think a direct confrontation is too dangerous, sir." Reno explained. "Especially since we don't know for sure who our target is. But waitin' 'round for someone to attack, or make a move at Junon is just as stupid…"

"Quite right." Tseng nodded his head. Reno was shocked that Tseng actually agreed with him. He wasn't even quite sure himself what his plans were, even though he knew he should be working on it. For some reason he just didn't feel like it.

"So I think the best thing to do is a little sneakin' 'round, ya know?" The redhead suggested. "So we'll head over to Sector 7, to Damien's HQ or whatever…"

"Very good." Tseng nodded again. "Well, I'll just remind you to speak to me before you head out on a mission."

"Yes, sir." Reno said. Carrie merely nodded her head.

Tseng took one last look at Reno, with his eyes narrowed. "You'll make a Turk yet, Reno." He smiled. "But I'm thinking about sending you for a haircut as well… incidentally, who paid for the suit?"

"I did, sir." Carrie said. "Reno didn't have any gil on him." Reno felt a little regret in the back of his mind at his inability to pay for his uniform.

"I see…" Tseng looked thoughtful for a minute, then put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a large wad of money. He counted some of it out and gave it to Carrie, and then handed the rest to Reno, who took it looking dumbstruck. "It doesn't seem fair that you should have to pay for your own uniform, and pay-day isn't for a while."

"So…?" Reno looked at the large amount of gil in his hands.

"No need to play the hero now, Reno." Tseng said seriously. "I know that any gil you've earned from antics before the Turks must be running low by now… to make a good Turk it helps if you have enough to stay alive for a start."

"But…" Reno stuttered.  
"No buts." Tseng said sternly. "I want you to report to my office at 0900 hours tomorrow to inform me of definite future plans. You may leave for your apartment for the night when you're ready."

"Yes, sir." Reno said quietly. Tseng nodded and left Reno's office, leaving him slightly lost for words. He sensed Carrie behind him, possibly trying to find the opportune moment to say something.

"Reno?" She stepped around in front of the redhead and put her gil in her pocket. "Reno… don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about what?" Reno said, snapping slightly. He didn't mean to sound harsh but he didn't much care at the moment.

"You'll get yourself on your feet soon." Carrie smiled kindly at him. "I know you feel awkward about taking money from your boss… but he's just trying to help you out, you know?"

"I know." Reno sighed. He still felt slightly strange, but he wasn't sure why. He knew it wasn't really to do with the money, since he'd had the feeling all day, but he couldn't quite place what was wrong. "It's not really the money that's the problem."

"Then what is it?" Carrie stepped closer to the redhead. "Reno? What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know…" Reno told her. He remembered that talking to Tseng had helped him order his thoughts, so maybe talking to Carrie would do the same thing. He wasn't really sure what he would say though. He was trying to chase thoughts in his head to put them together, but just as he caught one, he forgot the rest of them. He was confused, but he had to start somewhere.

"I guess… things are just movin' a little fast…" the redhead explained. "It's just… I didn't expect to come this far… and it still feels like somethin's missin'."

"Reno… you'd had a tough life, you know?" Carrie said quietly. "You're 16 years old, right? You're still a kid… but you're at the end of a childhood you never had, do you understand?"

"I guess so… but what-?"

"Reno, let's face facts – you're a murderer. It's sad, but it's true." Carrie said sternly yet kindly. "You're a kid, but you're a murderer. Of course it seems like things are going too fast for you."

"Yeah…" Reno said. He was finally starting to understand what she meant – maybe she was right.

"And I'll admit you've had it tough, even for a Turk…" Carrie continued. "You got shot by another Turk, and when Gun died-"

"Gun?" Reno interrupted. That name had really struck a chord. Then it clicked. "Elena..."

"Elena?" Carrie questioned. "Isn't that Gun's sister?"

"How do you know?" Reno asked.

"Gun mentioned her a couple of times… what about her? Have you spoken to her?"

"Yeah…" Reno sighed. He hadn't spoken to her since the time just after Gun had died. That short-lived visit had prayed on his mind since then, even though he had managed to put it to the bottom of his list of priorities. She had been so happy for someone whose sister had just died, and Reno never understood why. She was an interesting person, and even though he was already starting to forget what she looked like, he had remembered how beautiful she was since day one. That first time, when Reno had been too hurt to even see her face, he was still astounded by the strange kind of beauty her personality held. She stood out from the rest, and even though he was sure she didn't come from the slums, she was so much better somehow than any person he had even known before. He knew all of this, so why was he letting her slip away? He wanted nothing more than to see her again, because it seemed like thinking of her was the only thing keeping him sane. Carrie was nice, and she had really helped him get back on his feet, but she just wasn't enough. Now that all the excitement of getting a new life had died down, the feeling of desperate loneliness he'd had most of his life was starting to return to him. It seemed that even though he was making new friends, and getting his life on track, nothing was enough to fill the gap in his heart.

"You look sad." Carrie said, bringing Reno out of his reminiscence. "Is it something to do with Elena?"

"Probably…" Reno said quietly. For some reason he didn't want to admit that he was lonely.

"Do you want to speak to her?" Carrie asked him. Reno knew she didn't have a clue what was going on inside his head, but she was just another person trying to help him. Reno started to nod his head, but then changed his m

"No…" he said determinedly. "I hardly know her anyway…"

"Maybe…" Carrie said, walking over to Reno's desk and picking up his recently acquired PHS. "But maybe that's the problem… I don't know her myself, but I think you ought to speak to her. I've got Gun's house number on my PHS; I assume Elena lives there as well…"

"Probably." Reno sighed. He wasn't sure he liked Carrie's plan so far.

"Call her…" the blonde handed her own PHS over to Reno. "Invite her to your place or something…"

* * *

Reno sighed and pressed the cancel button on his PHS to end his call. He had stayed at work long enough to transfer Elena's house number onto his PHS and then he had left for his apartment. Elena had seemed quite happy to hear from Reno, so maybe this idea wasn't as bad as he had thought to start with.

The redheaded Turk sat and flicked quickly through the television channels while he waited for Elena to arrive. It was quite amazing how fast time could actually fly even though he was technically sitting doing nothing. It seemed like no time at all had passed when there was a quiet knock at his door. He left the TV on whatever station it was on, and went to answer the door. He couldn't help but smile as he rest his gaze on the blonde girl about a head and half shorter than him. Her shimmering brown eyes looked just as happy to see him as she looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hi, Reno." She said happily.

"Hey, come in." Reno let Elena pass as he shut the door.

"So…" Elena said as she took her coat off and rested it over the back of Reno's couch. "What made you call me over?"

"I dunno really…" Reno said, decided saying 'my friend Carrie made me' probably wasn't a good idea. "I guess I just felt I ought to spend more time with you."

"Oh, right…" Elena smiled wider, and Reno just stared at her. She looked a little younger than Reno was, and he hadn't realized how long her blond hair was. She had it tied it a lose pony-tail, and her dark brown eyes shimmered with the kindness Reno always remembered. "So, how have you been?"

"Not so good." Reno said honestly, shaking his head.

"Oh?" Elena looked up concernedly. "Why's that?"

"No idea." The redhead shrugged and pulled his gaze away from the blond.

"Being a Turk not working out for you?" she asked him. She had a strange under-tone of bitterness in her voice that Reno couldn't ignore.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, slightly put-out.

"Sorry…" Elena shook her head. "I just… have this thing about the Turks…"

"But your sister was a Turk – oh, sorry…" Reno trailed off, not for the first time wishing he'd thought before he'd spoken.

"It's okay… that's the reason I don't like Turks…" Elena explained. "You know, it seems little soon to be telling you this, I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be." The redhead said. "Go on, tell me."

"Well…" Elena looked hesitant, and shook her head. "I hated what the Shinra _did _to my sister. She took her job too seriously, you know? Made me feel like she was better than me, and that I'd never get as far up as she was…"

"You weren't _jealous _were you?" Reno asked. Elena flushed slightly. "You're 10 times the person Gun was. I can tell that and I hardly even know you."

"Ha…" Elena giggle slightly. "Well thanks. But I know I'll never be as successful as she was, despite what happened to her."

"You want to be a Turk?" Reno asked her.

"I… I don't know. Come to think of it, all the time I've spent thinking about the Turks, I've never actually asked myself that…"

"Well ask yourself now." Reno said seriously. "Just think of this… I was the lowest of the low, and I managed to become a Turk…"

"I know, I know… but that's the thing. You've grown up in a dangerous area, you had to learn to fight and stuff, so it's natural for you – no offense." She added awkwardly.

"None taken… but ya know-" Reno smirked. "It seems to me like you _do _wanna join."

"What?" Elena looked puzzled for a moment, as though she was thinking over the conversation she had just had. "No… I just…"

"What?" Reno encouraged.

"I just want to spend more time with you."

Reno paused, slightly lost for words. He hadn't been expecting her to say something like that. He figured at the end of day he'd only known her a little while, probably not even long even to count her as a friend, but he had to admit he felt some kind of connection with her. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something though – or that she wasn't really being herself.

"That… was a little out of the blue, wasn't it?" the redhead said. "What makes you say that?" he couldn't help but be a little suspicious.

"It's hard to explain, but just trust me..." Her voice seemed to acquire a sharp tone that didn't quite suit her. "Gun came home one last time before she died." Elena faltered slightly at those words. "She mentioned you…"

"Oh…" Reno raised an eyebrow. That couldn't be a good thing.


	33. Chapter 32

**A/N: **Okay, first thing's first, the text in italics is Elena's flashback. Why didn't I just get Elena to say it herself, I hear you ask? Because I hate writing lots of dialogue, that's why. Also, the second flashback is from a while ago, in case you didn't realize. Also the time line might not quite match up, but I can't really work out what fit's where, and I'm sure you get the general picture of what's going on.

Sorry if this chapter's a bit rubbishy - I spent a long time on it, but I struggled because I'm finding it difficult to concentrate at the moment.

Enjoy and please review

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**Chapter 32**

"_Damn it!" Gun slammed her bag down on the kitchen table making Elena jump. The younger blond turned away from her TV programme to face her livid sister. She didn't even really want to know what was wrong, but she knew Gun would probably tell her anyway. Elena had enough on her mind without Gun's problem's… she'd just met the young redhead in the park earlier that day, and her attempts at dissuading him from joining the Turks didn't seem to go down very well. _

_The first strange thing Elena noticed was Gun didn't seem very eager to share her problems with her sister. Usually, the first thing the older sibling did was take any problem she had out on Elena. With this on her mind, Elena decided to speak up first._

"_What's the matter?" she asked quietly. Gun stared at the other girl in utter shock. It wasn't the two sisters actually talked about anything, other than when they were bickering, so Elena couldn't blame her for looking so surprised._

"_New recruit…" Gun said blandly._

"_Oh…" Elena wasn't really sure what to say next, but as she expected, Gun picked up the conversation now that Elena had started it._

"_He's the most annoying person I've ever met!" Gun ranted. "And I mean it!"_

"_Why?" Elena asked. She had to admit, she was slightly curious as to what kind of person could annoy her sister so much. Then, after a fraction of a second it clicked in her mind._

"_I swear… he's gonna end up replacing me or something – the way Tseng talks about him…" _

"_What's his name?" Elena asked innocently._

"_Reno… hang on, why are you so interested?" Gun moved closer to Elena and narrowed her eyes at her. It was like some sort of test, to see how long Elena could last before she cracked. "You know him." Gun said finally._

_Elena didn't reply, she just looked down and prayed that Gun would drop the subject. However, just like she expected, she didn't._

"_Listen, don't ever speak to him again." Gun said. For a moment Elena thought Gun was actually speaking out of concern for her welfare, but it didn't take long for her to realize she was talking out of spite. "He's trouble… he's been in allsorts of drug's heists, including one to do with Shinra mako… and I don't think it'll be long before he gets the boot."_

Elena stopped talking and looked over at Reno. The redhead was looking at her, and he was quite aware of the strange expression on his face; Elena's story had just made something click in his head.

"Reno?" The blond said unsurely. "I'm sorry… maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No." Reno said suddenly. He shook his head and focused his gaze. "It's not that…"

"What is it then?" the girl asked.

"Never mind… I just need to think a few things through, that's all." Reno said. He wasn't really sure whether Elena would buy it, but he really didn't feel like explaining something he wasn't sure of himself.

"Well…" Elena looked awkward. "If you're sure."

"So anyway, carry on." The redhead leant back in his seat expectantly. Elena looked like she really didn't want to, but she spoke up anyway.

"I don't really know what else to say…" Elena sighed. "I… I wanted to get to know you, because I thought you must be _so _different to the other Turks I've met. You kind of… broke the stereotype, you know? So, I thought maybe the Turks weren't as bad as I've always thought."

"Well 'Lena… remember this…" Reno said slowly. "We're Turks, we kill. But the world wouldn't function without us. We don't only do bad."

"Yeah… I know." Elena told him quietly. "But that's not really the thing that bothers me…"

_Elena stepped out through the back door into the chilly winter air onto the concrete path_ _in her backyard. She saw her sister about 10 feet away, with a gun in her hand, shooting cans that were stood along the fence. 1… 2… 3… 4 and 5, she shot them all down with ease._

"_Gun?" Elena called over to her sister who shot her head around, giving her an angry look._

"_What?" she snapped. _

"_Oh, nothing…" Elena walked down the path and left the garden to go onto the street. She wasn't really sure where she was going, but she felt like she didn't really want to be around Gun anymore. Her sister had changed in the past few weeks she'd been a Turk, that was for sure. It wasn't just her attitude to Elena either; she had noticed Gun's irrational anger and resentment towards their parents as well, and no one could understand why. Although it was known their parents weren't exactly keen on the idea of Gun joining the Turks, they had done nothing but support her the whole time. It was strange how she was now acting like she didn't need them anymore. At only 16 years old, she was still a child of sorts, but she seemed to have aged about 5 years in the short two weeks she had been with Shinra._

"I see…" Reno bit his nail nervously. He was beginning to see Elena's point after listening to her story.

"It was just like… like the Shinra had sucked the life out of her." The blond girl shook her head. "But I know… it wasn't them, because you are exactly the same as the first day I met you."

Elena smiled at the redhead, and Reno returned it gladly. That was something he'd wanted to hear, because he knew how much people could change in a short space of time.

Still smiling, Reno looked at the clock behind Elena. "It's getting' late." He said quietly.

"Yeah…" Elena replied, looking at the clock herself. "I'd better get going." The blond stood up and put her jacket on.

"You gonna be alright?" the redhead asked. Looking outside, he saw it was dark, but Elena nodded her head.

"I'll be fine." Elena leant up and pecked Reno shyly on the cheek. "Goodbye, Reno."

Reno saw Elena out and closed the door behind her, feeling strangely anxious. His visit from the girl had put his mind at ease a little, but it had also put a new worry in his head.

Ever since his first encounter with Tseng, Reno had always wondered what the Turks would actually want with him. He'd never considered himself to be strong in any way, the only thing he could say about himself was that he was street-wise, but there were plenty of people like that in Midgar. There had always been that little voice at the back of his head saying he was no good, and there must be a special reason Tseng had picked him, and now he thought he might have just figured it out.

"_He's trouble… he's been in allsorts of drug's heists, including one to do with Shinra mako."_

Gun had mentioned the drug's heists, which meant Tseng must have mentioned them to her beforehand. Was it possible that Tseng had picked Reno because he had been so directly involved with Shinra biggest problem at that moment in time? Was he just being used as a guide, because he knew so deeply into the drugs industry? Maybe Gun had also been right in another thing she had said to Elena. How long would it be before they decided that they didn't need him anymore?

* * *

**A/N: **That's it for this chapter :D Bare in mind that this story _will _be ending soon but I'll carry on with the sequel, 'Slither'. I'll let ya know how many chapters there are left as soon as I know myself.

By the way... I don't know when Reno joined the Turks, 'cause no one does, but its obviously sometime before the events of Before Crisis. I know around that time there was the war with Wutai, but I'm pretending that doesn't exist at the moment. I might start bringing it into the sequel, but I'm not sure yet.


	34. Chapter 33

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait. I've been in and out of hospital all week and have had just about every test in existance done to me, so I'm not feeling to great at all. That is also my excuse if this chapter's a bit crap.

I have absolutely no idea if I'm s'pozed to be updatin' this or some other story, but this is what came out when I started writing. But anyway, the flashback is directly quoted from very early in the story, when Reno first meet's Tseng, so you might not remember it.

Enjoy

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**Chapter 33**

Reno awoke from a night of horrendously disturbed sleep. He had dreamt one of the most vivid dream's he'd had for a long time, no doubt triggered by the thoughts that had been running through his head when he'd drifted off the night before. The more he thought about the dream, the more details slipped away from him; but he had been alone, and he had been frightened. He had woken in a sweat; obviously even as he slept thoughts of being alone again terrified him. All of this made him even more determined to find out what Tseng had been thinking, and why he had wanted Reno on his team of Turks.

He slowly slipped out of bed as he pondered on his dilemma, and pulled on his Turk uniform. As he pulled on his jacket, he got to thinking back before he joined the Turks. He could remember asking Tseng why he wanted him to have the job, and he knew he would never forget his response.

"_You're Shinra." Reno said, finally calming down. "You have everyone on record, don't you?"_

"_Not everyone, Reno; just the people that have ever been associated with Shinra. It just so happens that number is rather high. I have purposely tracked you down."_

"_Why?"_

"_That is of no importance at the moment." Tseng said abruptly. He ran his hand through his sleek black hair. "Now, will you reconsider?"_

He could remember the harshness in Tseng's voice in that conversation, and Reno had had it in the back of his mind to bring the subject up again, but he had never gotten around to it. He figured now was the time, since he didn't take kindly to being used as a tool, and if he figured out he _was_, he would get out of there any way he could.

As he picked up his EMR, he was brought down to earth out of his thoughtful trance by a loud knock at the door. Slightly irritated, Reno walked over to the front door and swung it open. His jaw dropped as he saw the face of his visitor.

"Good to see you, Reno." There was no mistaking the black hair and evil gaze of Damien.

"Damien? How did you-?" Reno narrowed his eyes.

"You really shouldn't get so close to such weak people, Reno." Damien sneered. He reached to his left and pulled a person closer to him; Reno recognized her immediately.

"Elena!" he said in a shocked tone. There were tears running down her face, but she wasn't bounded, so either she had come out of her own free will or she had been threatened. From the tears streaming down her face, Reno guessed the latter was more likely.

"Let me come in and I'm sure we can come to some sort of… agreement." Damien said pulling a gun out of his pocket with a smug expression on his face.

"Get in." Reno hissed.

"I'm sorry, Reno." Elena cried as she was pushed inside by Damien. The black-haired youth followed and closed the door forcefully behind him.

"Don't even start!" Damien put one arm around Elena's neck, choking her slightly, and used the other to hold the gun to her head. "We already had our agreement; you keep your mouth shut."

"Let her go." Reno said forcefully as Elena struggled to try and get away. Damien's larger form scared him so little now he didn't even feel the need to draw his own weapon. He could tell from the expression on his face that he had no desire to shoot the girl.

"Well, well…" Damien let go of Elena so suddenly that she feel heavily to the floor. "It seems your power has gone to her head. Would you like me to remind you where you stand?"

"I know perfectly well." Reno gritted his teeth in an attempt to contain his anger. "What do you want with Elena?"

"Well, if you want to get straight to the point…" Damien shrugged his shoulders carelessly, but Reno could see he was slightly unnerved by his new found confidence. It gave Reno as slight sense of superiority, but he wouldn't let it distract him. "Your friend here confirmed my suspicions that you're thinking of investigating a drug's heist – with me as your main suspect."

"What of it?" Reno said, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"Well, personally I don't like the idea of _you _ending my little hobby." Damien said, trying to rebuild his presence.

"You're askin' me for a favor?" Reno raised an eyebrow.

"No…" The older man reached down and pulled Elena roughly to her feet by her arm. "You forget this drug's heist, and I'll leave the girl here – I'll never touch her again."

"And if I say no?" Reno asked.

"Well…" Damien tapped his gun lightly against Elena's head. "Accidents happen…"

Elena let out a gasp and started to sob uncontrollably, repeatedly crying Reno's name. The redhead clenched his fists in fury; there was only one sensible option.

"Leave her here." He hissed. "I'll stop the missions."

"Glad you could see things my way." Damien smirked and pushed Elena forwards. Reno caught her in his arms as Damien put his gun back into his pocket and left promptly, slamming the door behind him.

"Reno, I'm so sorry…" Elena cried as soon as the door shut, she buried her head in his chest. "I didn't want to tell him, but he threatened me, I didn't know what to do, I-"

"'Lena, 'Lena…" Reno put one hand on the girl's back and stroked her long blond hair with the other. "It's not your fault…"

"But now what are you going to do?" the girl asked him, looking back up at him. "You'll be fired."

"Quite likely…" He shrugged, trying to seem emotionless. "But I got my doubts 'bout that place anyway…"

"Don't say that!" Elena said in a shocked voice. Reno narrowed his eyes; he wasn't even sure himself why he said it, he knew he didn't _want _to leave the Shinra, but with the way things were going, it seemed entirely possible that's how things would end.

"Look, Laney…" Reno tried to comfort her. "I got a plan, 'kay? Just don't worry 'bout this… and try to keep ya nose clean for a while. An' don't worry, Damien won't go near ya again."

"Well…" Elena looked unsure for a moment, and then smiled weakly. "I guess I'll trust you… but Reno – _please _try your best to sort this out. I know from things Gun's said that if you refuse to do a mission, the Shinra take that as you going against them…"

Reno nodded, guessing vaguely where this was going. Elena stepped back and looked him directly in the eyes in a way she never had done before. She had a solemn expression, and her brown eyes were filled with seriousness. "Do you know what happens to a Turk that changes their mind?" she said quietly. "They're terminated every time."

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**A/N: **Thanks for readin' this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Yep, Damien finally made another appearance, and Elena's having a much more prominant role from now on. I'm still not sure how many chapters are left of this one, because there's one little part (Reno's _plan _that he mentioned) that I can't decide whether to put on the end of this, or at the beginning of Slither. So yeah anyway, please review, and sorry again for the wait, and the fact that I might not be able to update as regularly until I'm feelin' better.


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: **This chapter took me soooo long. I've tried really hard with it, so i hope you enjoy it. I don't seem to be getting as many reviews as I did at the start of this, so please don't leave me guys.

So, I'm gonna explain what I'm doing with this now. I've written the ending for Lithium already, but it's about 6000 words, so I'm gonna split it up. That means that after this chapter, there will probably only be two more chapters left before I move on to the sequel.

Enjoy...

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Chapter 34

"Tseng." Reno walked straight into Tseng's office without knocking. He was not in the mood for formalities. "I want to talk to you."

"Ah... Reno." Tseng looked up from from whatever he was doing and gazed at Reno with mild interest. "I was just going to call for you."

Reno stopped and stood with his arms held loosely at his sides. He was slightly lost for words; that was the last thing he'd expected Tseng to say. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure exactly what he'd expected him to say.

"Would you like to go first?" The raven-haired man asked.

Reno shook his head. "No... go."

"As you wish..." Tseng smiled. "Firstly, you're late. Secondly, I want to ask you to knock on my door before you come in. Also... can you take a bit more care when you dress in the morning?"

Reno looked down at his appearance. He had to admit, he could have tried a little harder; his shirt was untucked and not buttoned properly, and his hair was probably a mess. He didn't much care though; all he cared about was sorting things through with Tseng. "Anything else?" he asked, a little more curtly than he'd intended. He knew Tseng had dragged him in there for more than just that.

"Yes, actually..." Tseng looked slightly more serious. "Are you willing to move again?"

"What?" Reno said, slightly dumbstruck.

"I don't know if you know, but Shinra has it's own apartments, very close to the building itself. Continuing to support your living in Kuroshica's father's apartments would be very costly for the company."

"You serious?" Reno's heart leapt. That only meant one thing to him; Tseng wouldn't move him into a Shinra apartment if he was in a hurry to get rid of him.

"Of course." Tseng smiled. "Why would I joke? And why so happy? Is that apartment so bad?"

"No... there's nothin' wrong with the apartment... it's just... nevermind." Reno didn't really like the idea of explaining his concerns to Tseng.

"I see..." Tseng furrowed his brow. "Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"What?" Reno said slightly rudely. "Oh... never mind."

"I see..." Tseng smiled lightly, yet somehow he looked slightly disappointed. "Well, if you're sure. Now then, would you be prepared to move today?"

"Today?" Reno hadn't been expecting a change so soon. "Umm... yeah okay..."

"I apologize for the short notice, but I want to let Kuroshica's father have his apartment back A.S.A.P." Tseng explained. "You would have known earlier but things have been a little hectic around here, as you may have noticed."

Reno nodded and couldn't help but smile slightly. He was staying, and all of a sudden, he had a new surge of determination to succeed at his job. It was a long shot, but maybe he could even rise above Tseng's expectations, although he wasn't exactly sure what his raven-haired superior expected of him.

"Do you have any important belongings at all?" Tseng asked.

"No... well, just one thing." Reno told him.

"Okay..." Tseng looked to be puzzling something over momentarily before picking up his phone and dialing a number. "Kuroshica, come to my office please." he said curtly, before putting the phone back down again. "Carrie will take you to your apartment, and back to get your belongings. After everything's settled, feel free to take the rest of the day off... however, please be thinking about your next stages of your mission while you're at home."

"Yes, sir." Reno replied. He didn't really want to share his ideas of the mission yet, since he wasn't sure himself.

* * *

Carrie made it up to Tseng's office surprisingly quickly. She looked slightly ticked off however when she opened the door and entered, but she wiped the annoyed expression off her face as soon as she saw Tseng.

"Yes, sir?" she inquired.

"Kuroshica, I want you to take Reno back to his apartment to get his belongings, then take him to his new apartment." Tseng told her distantly as he began searching around in his drawer for something.

"The ones on the next street?" Carrie raised a fine eyebrow.

"Yes, the Shinra ones." Tseng closed his drawer and handed a set of keys to Reno. "Number 27."

"Yes, sir." Carrie nodded and went to leave the office. Reno followed her, although slightly reluctantly. He couldn't help but feel that something was amiss, but perhaps that was just the insecurity he had in his own mind about his missions. The next few weeks, or even months were going to be very difficult to work his way around. But he would do it; he was determined.

Even though Reno had only been living in his new apartment for a short period of time, he felt a kind of sadness about letting it go. Maybe it was because it was the first real home he'd had; Reno wasn't sure. It was like finishing one chapter of his life, and entering another, and there was no way of telling how the story would unfold. When he was younger, and his family had still been alive, he'd lived in the same one roomed he'd always been in place owned by the shifty drug dealer, but he had always loved his home. This was only of course because he was a strong believer that it was the family that made a home, not the surroundings. They weren't well-off, and they always struggled for money, but Reno had never been happier in his life. Despite he was finally getting himself back on his feet, there was still a sort of longing in the bottom of his heart; he had no family, and he didn't have many people he could consider a friend. Part of him hated the idea of moving again, knowing that he would spend so many nights alone. He couldn't stand to be alone.

* * *

As he opened the door and he and Carrie entered Reno's current apartment, the redhead sighed and turned to his blond companion. "This is odd." he said quietly.

"What is?" Carrie said, looking interestedly at Reno.

"Why are all the Shinra apartments together, and in such an obvious place? People wanna kill the Turks, and probably other Shinra employees. Surely it's easy for people to get to us?" Reno asked.

Carrie smiled and shook her head. "It's funny... I thought the same thing. But the apartments at Shinra are guarded, and have special security systems and everything... it's easier than making sure everyone's homes are secure... get what I mean?"

"Yeah..." the redhead nodded and went further into his apartment to gather his belongings. He quickly grabbed his little black wallet with his photos in, and went into his bedroom to get his clothes.

"Umm... I don't know if anyone asked you..." Carrie said following Reno into his bedroom. "But was there anything you wanted to get from your old place? I'd go with you if you wanted..." There was an awkwardness about Carrie's tone that Reno really didn't like.

"No, there's no point..." The redhead couldn't help but return that awkward tone. "It's alright."

"Okay... if you're sure." Carrie watched as Reno shoved some clothes roughly into a bag. He was wearing his Turk uniform, so he only had his old tattered clothes from before. "Is that all you've got?" the blond girl said in a shocked tone when Reno threw in a few wash things he'd bought and zipped up his bag.

"Yep..." he hauled the bag over his shoulder. "That's it... ready to go?"

"What?" Carrie looked stunned. "You really travel light, huh?"

"Only got what I need." Reno smiled. "Ready?"

* * *

What shocked Reno most about his new apartment was the size. He had expected it to be a tiny place, not that he would have minded, but since it was a whole huge block of apartment, small rooms were the norm. Carrie had lead him into a spacious living room, with an open-plan kitchen. It was all fully-furnished as far as Reno could see, and it gave of a very homely feel that made the redhead feel a little better about being there. From what Reno could see from the hallway, there was two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

"What do you think?" Carrie smiled at the expression on Reno's face.

"It's great." Reno smiled for the first time in a while. It seemed his whole world was up and down lately; was it possible things may start to fix themselves now?

"Glad you like it..." the blond looked satisfied. "You've got two bedrooms, by the way, because your partner will be living here as well. It's safer that way."

Reno nodded; he could understand that one. People were always safer when they were together; part of the reason why he didn't like being alone. That sprung up another thought in his head; when he was younger, he'd never actually bothered socializing with anyone else. His childhood seemed to have been very 'live and let live'. He'd concentrated so much on just staying alive he hadn't had much chance to fulfill his social requirements. Perhaps once whoever his partner was moved in, he could make an effort to actually make friends. Reno was educated enough to understand basic human needs, and he was also smart enough to figure out that he hadn't fulfilled most of them during his life. As soon as he managed to sort that part of his life out, maybe things would start to get better a little quicker.

"Everything you need?" Carrie asked gently. She seemed to be in a slightly better mood than she had been when she'd entered.

"Yeah..." Reno smiled. "Hey, Carrie?" he said, deciding to question her previously negative mood.

"Yeah?" the blond replied.

"What was up with you when you came into Tseng's office?" the Turk asked. "You seemed really pissed off."

"Oh..." Carrie's face seemed to fall instantly. "Can you remember a while back, on our way to Sector 4 when we were on that mission, there was that girl on the train?"

Reno thought for a moment, trying to picture this girl in his head... dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin... he could vaguely remember. "Yeah?"

"I was speaking to Reeve. Remember I said about Reeve Tuesti?" Carrie said. Reno nodded. "He said he didn't recognize her description... but I can't remember her name. It's bugging me."

"Oh..." Reno frowned and tried desperately to remember...

"_Hey…" Reno said loudly to the woman checking ID's. She looked up, as did many of the other passengers in their cart._

"_Can I help you sir?" she said, approaching him and blushing slightly. Reno felt Carrie's eyes boring into him but he ignored it._

"_Yeah, you done the ID checks for this whole cart yet?" he asked._

"_Yes, sir."_

"_What about that one?" he pointed to the cart the woman had just exited to.  
"Yes, sir."_

"_Can you tell me the name of the woman that was sitting there? Long dark hair, slutty clothes?"_

"_Umm…" she raised her eyebrows at Reno's obnoxious description but looked at her sheets anyway. "I can't tell you, its classified information."_

"_Oh, yeah?" Reno raised an eyebrow sceptically. The woman stuttered nervously._

"_Umm… she works for the Department of Urban Development at Shin-Ra..."_

It was annoying that Reno could remember the whole conversation he'd had that day with the woman on the train, but he was struggling to remember her name. All he could remember was that Carrie had promised to speak to the head of Department of Urban Development; Reeve.

"Wait..." Reno said suddenly. It had clicked. " Ria Icashow."

"Okay..." Carrie shot him a strange look. "I can't believe you can actually remember to be honest..."

"Why not?" Reno enquired.

"Well, for a start it was a while back... and you got shot on that mission... I shouldn't think you'd remember much."

"I dunno..." Reno shrugged. "Maybe I just got a good memory."

"No kidding." Carrie said in a disbelieving tone.

* * *

When Carrie left the apartment it felt exactly the same to Reno as it had done before when he'd been alone in his first new apartment. It felt lonely, and although it was a very homely place to live, Reno didn't feel much at home before. Last time he had put it down to the fact that he'd never been in such a beautiful place he could call home, but now he was sure there was something more missing.

Of course, there were more important things on Reno's mind. There was his missions, and how he was going to solve his new problem. On one side, he had to make it look like he had given up so Damien wouldn't go back for Elena, and on the other side, he had to carry on with his work so he wouldn't be killed by Shinra. He wasn't sure exactly what Carrie was going to do about Ria Icashow, but something told him to keep the same at the back of his mind. He already had a idea about his missions in his mind, but going ahead with it would be tricky, and awkward. He wasn't even sure if it was a very good idea to tell Tseng his exact idea, although he didn't know why. He just needed to make sure that whatever happened, he did it alone. He couldn't risk anyone being hurt.

* * *

**A/N: **And there ya have it. By the way, the flashback is from earlier in the story, if you can't remember feel free to go and re-read chapter 24 (i think thats the right chapter) Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Just a warning by the way; the last parts of the story are gonna be dealing with things that are VERY sensitive to some people. Please don't review calling me 'insensitive' because I will be talking from my own point of view, so it's things that are very real, and very terrible. Hope that doesn't put you off reading though :)

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	36. Chapter 35

**A/N: **Hey guys! Once again, sorry about the wait. I know it's probably not been that long since I updated this, but I don't do it as much as I used to, with all the extra workload I've got at school and everything. Also, I wrote the whole of the ending (about 8 pages) a few weeks ago, and then lost it, so I have to write the whole lot again. (sighs) Oh well... XD Thanks alot for all your reviews/support etc.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 35

The tension was overwhelming; it felt like something could snap at any moment, even though most of the tension was coming from Reno himself. As he walked down the busy corridor he was certain people kept staring at him. Had word got out about the struggle that Reno was desperately trying to keep to himself, or was it just his tired mind playing tricks on him? Whatever it was, Reno was not in the mood to contend with it; he had suffered a sleepless night, and became apparent that morning that he had barely eaten for the past few days. He was terrified, but what of? He would speak to Tseng about working the mission alone, and he would either say yes or no. It was as simple as that. What was so scary about it? If Tseng said no, Reno would have to refuse the missions or Elena would be killed. If he refused the missions, _he _would be terminated. It was a lose-lose situation, but somehow he was willing to give his life to save Elena's… but why? He hardly knew her after all, but there was something about her… that, combined with the fact that Elena shouldn't have ever had anything to do with the mission made Reno willing to do anything to save her life.

Reno, once again, didn't bother knocking on Tseng's office door.

"Tseng." He said, slipping in and closing the door behind him. "I need to talk to you. Now."

"Okay." Tseng put down his pen and pushed the paperwork he was working on away from him. He was quite clearly, despite Reno's rudeness, willing to listen to him.

"These missions… I need to do them alone from now on." The redhead said confidently. "If not, then I can't keep working for you."  
"Slow down." Tseng said calming. "Now, what do you mean by 'alone'?"

"I have to go back to my old home. It's the only way this can work now. No-one can contact me while I'm there, or there will be trouble."

"I see." The raven-haired man nodded his head. "How long do you want?"

"A few days."

"Your uniform, your PHS-"

"I'll have to leave here for now. I'll be found out otherwise." Reno finished the sentence for him.

"Of course." Tseng nodded again. "But, for safety reasons, you understand it is necessary for us to have some sort of contact with you."

Reno nodded and thought for a moment. "Okay, gimme three days. If you don't hear from me in three days, send someone after me. But make it discreet, okay?"

"Yes… when you return, I expect a full report, and I want you to explain your thinking to me."

"O-okay." Reno stuttered. He was slightly shocked at how well Tseng was taking this; he had been expecting him to take it badly, especially since he hadn't bothered with formalities. Tseng seemed to pick up on this shock as a slight smile touched his lips.

"Reno, in the past few months you've proven yourself to me as capable, if not more capable than any Turks we've had before. I trust you know what you're doing; that's why I'm being easy on you. Incidentally, would you mind telling me why you came to see me yesterday?"

"I was… suspicious." The redhead said bluntly.

"Of?"

"You."

"Ah…" a sudden look of realization dawned over Tseng's features. "Let me guess; because I chased you so much right in the middle of our drug's heist and Mako theft problem. You thought we'd get rid of you?"

"I thought I'd end up dead." Reno admitted.

"I have to admit, when I first found you, my first thought was cheap, disposable labor. But you surprised me with your skill, both physically and intellectually."

"I… see." Reno was lost for words. He hadn't been expecting this.

"But, I figured it would be natural for you to get suspicious. That's why I moved you into a Shin-Ra apartment yesterday. I've dealt with slum children before; they are usually so used to being rejected, when something good happens to them they don't accept it. Well, I can assure you, this is one hundred per cent genuine."

"Well… okay." Reno was really not sure what he shook say. He hadn't put Tseng down as something who would say anything like that to anyone.

"Are you leaving immediately?" Tseng asked, bring a little more seriousness about into his voice.

"As soon as possible."

"Okay… well, while you're gone, it's quite likely your partner will start working." Tseng told him quickly. "I'll get him started on patrolling Sector 8 to start with, to waste time until you get back."

"Okay…" Reno smiled grimly and turned to leave.

"Good luck." Tseng called after him. Reno sighed nervously and left the office without looking back. The only thought in his mind was that after what he was about to do, he might not ever see this building again.

_

* * *

_

Home, sweet home…

Reno dumped his bag on the filthy floor and looked around him. He never thought he'd be back, but there he was; it was like stepping back in time, and although Reno knew he was still a Turk, he was already starting to feel as worthless as he had done most of his life.

He had only been able to bring with him the things he'd had before joining the Turks. No uniform, no PHS, no EMR. Without them he felt incredibly vulnerably, but he knew Damien wasn't stupid. If he was to bring them with him, he would find them. He only had his little black wallet, and a few scruffy clothes. He was already wearing some black jeans and a shirt, both of which were too big for him, but it was essential to make the illusion complete. He'd also brought with him a short knife; he needed _some _sort of protection after all. But if something big were to happen, Reno didn't know what he'd do, which made it especially important that he was discreet.

Sighing, Reno sat down on his bed… well a mattress on the floor really. He guessed he should've spoken to the owner of the rooms before he 'moved back in', but come to think of it, he didn't even know Reno had moved out in the first place. It was quite common for his clients to disappear for days, even weeks so Reno's disappearance wouldn't seem strange to his landlord. Besides, there was clearly no one else living there since Reno's old stuff was still there.

Gazing across the damp floor, something silver and glinting caught Reno's eye. The redhead leaned forwards and picked it up, his heart pounding as he saw what it was. A bracelet; a gate bracelet to be precise. It was amazing how many memories that one aged piece of jewelry could bring. It had been the first, and only, piece of jewelry Reno's father had ever bought for his mother. It had been in one of those stages where his poor father had been determined to change himself; he'd even given up drinking to save up the money to buy the bracelet. His mother had loved it, and wore it every day, up until the day before she died, when she gave it to Reno, uttering 'look after it for me, love'. Reno had always been slightly confused as to why she had done that, and he would never really find out the true reasons. It was almost like she knew she was going to die, and she didn't want the bracelet to get stolen by some stranger. Reno had only wore it that day however, he felt strange wearing it after she died. Before long, he'd stopped thinking about it, and he didn't even see in any more. As he slipped it onto his slender wrist, that was the first time he'd touched the cool metal since then. It was loose, but it stayed on without much trouble.

Reno sighed longingly. He knew that being back here would bring back memories, and probably tempt him into doing things he really didn't want to do. There was one temptation that was quickly getting more and more difficult to resist. He stood up slowly and made his way to the set of drawers in the corner. Opening the top one, he pulled out a familiar small, white box; his only friend through his many, painful years of childhood. Lithium.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like; that peaceful feeling that travelled through his veins as the cool, smooth tablets slipped down his throat. As he held the box in his hand, it was like a ghost of his past was coming back to haunt him. He'd done so much in the last few months in getting his life on track… could it be any better? Just by the simple swallowing notion and letting the drug pass into his system, his life could either get even better, or, more likely, a whole lot worse.

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	37. Chapter 36

**A/N: **Okay, I know I didn't give any warning at all, but this is actually the LAST CHAPTER of this story. Thanks so much for everyone who's reviewed, and if you haven't yet, make sure you let me know what you thought of the story. Don't forget to check out the sequel, which will be up as soon as I can get it up.

Now, I realize that this chapter may be a little confusing, so don't hesitate to ask if you don't understand anything. The flashback from Christmas (the part in italics) is from Chapter 12, the chapter I wrote last christmas, so if you don't remember that chapter, this may get a little confusing for you. Also, I'm sorry if the grammar isn't very good, and I seem to be going through a stage of putting random question marks where they shouldn't be, but I was kinda rushing through checking it, because I wanted to get it up before Christmas, and I'm short on time.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

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****Chapter 36**

**  
**Not for the first time in his life, Reno had made the wrong choice. It didn't matter though, not anymore. He was stronger; he wouldn't get hooked, right? Well, that was what he had told himself every single time he'd let the lithium take hold of him. He knew straight away that she shouldn't have done it, shouldn't have let those smooth pills slip down his throat, but he couldn't help himself. Even though he knew he didn't need them, it was just like a habit that was too hard to break. He was desperately forcing all other negative thoughts out of his mind, like what he was throwing away by letting himself drop back down again. There was Tseng, and his job as a Turk; there was Carrie, one person who had helped him so much; there was Elena, another mysterious figure that he was desperate to get to know; and then there was his new partner, whoever he was, and whenever he was going to arrive; he would be ruining things for him as well.  
But more than anything, he was ruining things for himself. All the times before in his life, he hadn't cared about himself at all, but now he wasn't sure whether he was caring more for himself, or whether he just felt guilty for being such a burden. At the end of the day however, it was his life, and it had been Tseng that had been so desperate to get him involved with the Turks in the first place. It wasn't his fault.  
The lithium obviously hadn't taken effect straight away, and Reno was at a loss as to what he should do now. He had come here to do a mission, he had a purpose, and he'd blown it. He wasn't sure whether he should go out while he was still thinking straight and see if he could figure out where Damien was hiding? Or maybe he should stay home and hide his shame.  
When he thought about it, he was starting to see a way he could use his weakness as an advantage. Unconsciously checking that his mother's bracelet was still on his wrist, and that his knife was still in his pocket, he stood up and left his room, closing the door behind him.  
It was cold outside, since it was only the beginning of spring. Reno was only wearing a shirt and jeans; he hadn't had a jacket before he joined the Turks, so he couldn't take one with him. No, he only had the clothes on his back, the ones that emphasized how he felt inside; like complete and utter scum.  
Maybe it was just the shock of going from a warm place to cold place so quickly, but Reno was starting to feel light-headed already. Suddenly, things didn't seem so bad?  
He walked down the street innocently enough, but he could sense something was wrong. People kept looking at him; did they know he was a Turk? What if something bad happened? What if Damien learned that Reno was trying to fool him, and something terrible happened to Elena? It wasn't her fault, and she shouldn't have even been involved in any of this is the first place.

Reno wasn't even sure where he was going, or what he was doing; he was growing increasingly light-headed, and somewhere deep inside his mind, he knew he needed to see Damien, although he was no longer sure why. The redhead was just about to enter an alleyway behind a bar, when he heard a cry behind him.

"Reno!" he turned around to see a familiar blond behind him. At first he thought it was Elena, but then his brain kicked in.

"Carrie?" He stood at ease as the blond approached him, an ambiguous expression on his face. She stood, only about a foot away from him, and stared into his eyes, her blue eyes boring into him.

"What have you done?" she asked. The disappointment in her voice was overwhelming; he would have preferred it if she'd have shouted. He felt a familiar pang of guilt shoot through his heart, but he was so numb he hardly felt it now.

"You shouldn't be here." Reno said quietly. His words were slurred, he could hear it himself.

"Reno?" Carrie took him roughly by the shoulders. "Are you prepared to throw all you've done down the drain? You've come so far…"

"You don't care." Reno shook his head. He suddenly felt resentment towards the older girl standing in front of him. "You and Tseng are both the same; you only care about my job, and the person that's fillin' it. You're not bothered what happens to me…"

"You selfish jerk!" Carrie suddenly shouted. There were tears in her eyes. "Do you not remember? If I didn't care about you, why would I have saved your life?"

"What are you talking about?" Reno asked, calming down slightly.

"You… you really don't remember…" Carrie looked down, letting go of Reno's shoulders. Tears were falling down her face…

Reno just stared at Carrie, who was obviously not going to say anything else. He was desperately trying not to let the guilt get to him, even though he knew he'd hurt one of the few people that claimed to give a shit whether he was dead or alive. Memories of his past few months with Carrie entered his mind and exited just as quickly as he was trying to recall what the blond was talking about.

"Christmas?" Carrie said a small voice. "Four or five years ago…"

It was like a light being turned on in his mind, except the light was too bright. He didn't want it to be. "I'm sorry." Reno said quietly. The words that came from his lips sounded strange, as he'd used them so few times before… "Damien and me fought… he beat the shit outta me… and someone saved me… I never knew… it was you?"

"_Are you okay?" a voice said from above him. Reno couldn't see who was talking, but the voice was very unfamiliar. It was a woman, and from the highness in the pitch of the voice, the picture planted in his head was of a young girl, a bit older than Reno, with a kind face and smiling eyes._

_Then the pain returned to him; biting through him like white hot needles._

"_Can you hear me?" _

The Christmas that had just passed, he remembered thinking about his childhood; he had been wracking his brains for the whole of his first mission for who had saved his life when he was just 11 years old, when all the time the answer had been staring him right in the face.

"When I first saw you in the hospital bed, after Gun had shot you, I knew your face. I thought about it for hours and hours, till I finally remembered." Carrie explained. Reno could see she was no longer crying, but she hadn't bothered to wipe the tears from her face. "I suppose I can't really expect you to remember, it was a long time ago."

"I do remember." Reno said bluntly. His voice was somehow clearer now. "I just couldn't remember your name."

"Why did you do it Reno? You've taken something, haven't you?" Carrie asked him. It was a voice of genuine concern, not of anger, but somehow it was difficult to answer. It was so hard to admit he'd done wrong to someone he cared so much about. "I understand." She said quietly when he didn't answer her.

"Why did you come here?" Reno asked her, looking into her deep blue eyes. "I'm on a mission."

"When Tseng told me you'd left, I knew you'd come back here… and the odds of nothing going wrong weren't very high. I needed to see that you were okay." Carrie's eyes filled with tears again, but then they suddenly became wide with fear as she looked past Reno, into the alleyway behind him.

The redhead turned as well, his heart filling with rage as he saw what Carrie was staring at.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this touching moment…" said the figure in the darkness in a cynical tone. "But I've got a score to settle."

"Damien…" Reno narrowed his eyes as the figure moved out of the darkness, and Reno and Carrie could see his shining, arrogant eyes.

"Good to see you, Reno…" the black-haired man carried on. "But I wouldn't expect a couple of Turks to be crawling around the slums for no good reason. I hope you weren't on my tail."

"You can keep calm, 'cause I'm not a Turk anymore." Reno said loudly and confidently.

"Oh yeah?" Damien raised an eyebrow. "I thought all ex-Turks were terminated?"

"I was left alone on mutual terms…" Reno said, slightly less confidently. "Given the circumstances."

"Ah… you mean because they forced you into it and then you didn't live up to their expectations?" Damien asked with a smug look on his face. Reno had to resist smirking himself; Damien was falling into the trap. "It's always the same with you, isn't it Reno? You never live up to anyone's expectations. That's why everyone always leaves you."

Reno swallowed hard. He wasn't going to bite back. Carrie on the other hand, seemed to have a lot less self-control in the circumstance.

"You shut up, Damien!" she shouted, stepping closer to him.

"Right back at you." Damien promptly slapped her in the face, sending a surge of anger through Reno. "You're nothing but worthless Shin-Ra scum. Makes me wonder how a little bitch like you got up with the top-dogs."

Carrie stayed quiet this time, rubbing her reddening cheek. Reno could hear his own pulse rushing through his head as he watched Damien staring back down at him.

"So, not a Turk anymore?" the black-haired man raised his eyebrows. "What are you standing here talking to this slut for?"

"She… she wants me to come back. But I won't. I'm done with Shin-Ra." Reno said, forcing emotion into his voice. "I don't know why she came."

"Do you hate her?" Damien asked brusquely. Reno seemed to stop breathing. He knew exactly what the man in front of him was thinking.

"I hate all of Shin-Ra… for what they've done." The redhead said eventually. Damien nodded in a satisfied manner. Reno could sense Carrie behind him, and dreaded to think what was going through her mind.

"Well then… you won't have any problem in ending her life… right now." Damien took a gun out of his pocket and handed it to Reno, who took it, a lump forming in his throat. "Shoot her."

Reno held up the gun, facing Carrie, who had an undecipherable expression on her face. After a few seconds, she smiled. "I understand." She said, only just loud enough so Reno could hear her. "You don't hate me. I'll never think you do."

Reno nodded and aimed the gun closer to her head. His hand was shaking and he could practically feel Damien's eyes on the back of his head.

"Go on… do it." Damien's voice whispered quietly in his ear. "Show me where your loyalties lie."

* * *

**A/N: **There ya have it. I hope you enjoyed the story. Sorry for leaving it on such a terrible cliffhanger, but it was the best place I could end it. Hope to see you reviewing the next story, and thanks so much for all your support and criticism.

Hope you all have a Happy Christmas and a fantastic New Year!


	38. Author's Note

**Hey guys! **

**Thanks for all your reviews for Lithium. It's taken me a while, but I've finished it, and I've just started on the sequel. Just to remind you, take a look at the sequel if ya want, it's called 'Slither'. I hated leaving Lithium on such a cliffhanger, but if you read Slither, eventually, all will become clear!! Once again, thanks a lot for all your support!**

**Love from,**

**Reno-xxxXXXxxx**


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